Pennsylvania SOTU guest ‘a little disappointed’ by lack of progress on rail safety

A local Pennsylvania official invited as Rep. Chris Deluzio’s (D-Pa.) guest to President Biden’s State of the Union address Thursday evening said he’s “a little disappointed” by the lack of progress on rail safety legislation a year after a trail derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

Mike Carreon (R), chair of the Board of Supervisors for Darlington Township, Pa., told The Hill in an interview Thursday that since the crash, which occurred in February 2023 just across the Ohio state line, “nothing has changed to prevent it from happening” in the future.

“We don’t know what the future looks like, but there’s legitimate concern over long term health care. We don’t know what the exposure to these chemicals can bring. People are exposed to different levels for different durations,” he said. “So not everybody’s story is going to be the same but there’s definitely been an effect on individuals.”

The derailment of a train operated by Norfolk Southern railroad spilled several cars containing hazardous chemicals, including vinyl chloride, a toxic compound used in production of plastics. While no one was killed or injured in the crash, residents have expressed worries about the possibility of longer-term health problems that may not be immediately apparent.

Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown (D) and JD Vance (R) have introduced railway safety legislation in the wake of the crash, which would tighten rules around cars carrying hazardous materials and require crews of at least two people on cars. Despite the backing of both Biden and former President Trump, the Republican front-runner, it has yet to receive a vote in the Senate.

“I think people understand that you’ve got to move commerce, we’ve got to do it safely, and that the railroads need to have some stricter rules,” Deluzio told The Hill. He pointed to testimony Wednesday by National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy that Norfolk Southern’s controlled burn of the spilled chemicals in East Palestine was unnecessary.

“I think [that] goes to the exact problem here. These railroads can’t be trusted to regulate themselves. They’re going to pursue their profit at the expense of our safety,” he said. “And what we’re saying in a very reasonable way is, you know what, we can do some things to make rail safer.”

Ultimately, Carreon said, there’s ample room for common ground on railway safety reform because it’s an issue that knows no political boundaries.

“The railroads run through Republican and Democratic cities and towns all across the country,” he said.

Rachel Frazin contributed.