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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 22, 2023 12:36 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Robert F. Matzie and Rep. Jim Marshall |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Rail Safety Legislation |
| The recent derailment in East Palestine, Ohio has greatly impacted our districts and our constituents. It has also shed light on rail safety – and the lack thereof. We are one of the most heavily traveled areas in the country for rail traffic, as our multi-modal system transports goods throughout our Commonwealth and going north, south, east and west to our neighbors. Given that the existing rules and regulations allowed for this travesty to occur in our backyards, we can’t wait for the federal government to act. We believe it is in our purview, under Chapter 27 of Title 66 to augment the Federal Rail and Safety Act (FRSA) with comprehensive rail safety provisions specific to Pennsylvania and will be introducing legislation to do so. Our legislation would address the standards, oversight, and maintenance of wayside detector systems, provide for additional oversight of railroad company safety compliance, provide for a reporting mechanism if railroad companies are deemed out of compliance with federal regulations, establish minimum safe staffing requirements, create a reporting system for the transportation of hazardous materials and waste, and restrict unsafe train length. In 2022, there were more than 1,000 train derailments in the United States. The East Palestine derailment won’t be the last one with devasting impact. We need to act now to ensure that the next derailment does not have far more widespread and devastating consequences to our communities. |
Introduced as HB1028