Rep. Sykes Renews Calls To Pass Bipartisan RAIL Act During House Transportation And Infrastructure Committee Hearing With Sec. Buttigieg
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This Rail Safety Week, U.S. Representative Emilia Sykes (OH-13) renewed her calls for Congress to immediately pass her bipartisan RAIL Act to improve rail safety during a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing entitled, “Oversight of the Department of Transportation’s Policies and Programs.” Rep. Sykes emphasized it has been over six months since the tragic derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, but the House of Representatives has not taken any legislative action on rail safety reform despite calls from Republicans and Democrats alike.
After the hearing, President Biden issued an executive order to protect people in East Palestine, Ohio and nearby communities. The executive order directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to appoint a Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator to oversee long-term recovery efforts in the community and announces new steps to ensure Norfolk Southern continues meeting its obligations to the community.
The executive order follows calls from Rep. Sykes and other Ohio delegation members urging federal assistance with the cleanup of the East Palestine train derailment.
“More than six months after a tragic train derailment upended the lives of innocent Ohioans in East Palestine, Congress has shamefully done nothing to address the root cause of this disaster,” said Rep. Sykes. “I introduced the bipartisan RAIL Act to improve rail safety and ensure no community in our nation suffers like East Palestine has, but House Republican leadership has not taken up this commonsense legislation. Thankfully, President Biden announced additional actions today to help ensure residents of East Palestine can access critical federal resources that will aid their recovery, but Congress still must act. Americans can’t wait any longer—we must pass the RAIL Act now to protect communities across the nation from future train derailments.”
The National League of Cities recently released an interactive map showing the alarming frequency of train derailments across the country. Ohio is listed as one of the top five states with derailments over the last decade.