To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

×
      LATEST NEWSOPINIONCLIMATEECONOMY POLITICS RIGHTS & JUSTICEWAR & PEACE
      LATEST NEWS
      OPINION

      department of transportation

      This video screenshot released by the NTSB shows the site of a derailed freight train in East Palestine

      Two Years Later, Biden Has Yet to Appoint Key Safety Regulator at DOT

      Despite all of the media attention on the horrible derailment in East Palestine, Ohio there has been little attention on the leaderless agency tasked with preventing such disasters.

      Dylan Gyauch-Lewis
      Apr 08, 2023

      More than halfway through President Biden’s term, there remain numerous critical appointed positions across the executive branch that remain empty. My colleagues have written extensively about the scope of this confirmation crisis. Some notable remaining vacancies include a seat on the Federal Communications Commission, around two dozen US Attorneys, and a seat on the National Transportation Safety Board. While much of this is due to obstruction by Senate Republicans, the importance of advancing good nominees remains. The fixes to the procedural delays are beyond Biden’s control (though not necessarily beyond Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s). But fighting to get the right people into positions of authority is still a top priority. As the mantra goes: personnel is policy.

      But there is one critical, if low-profile, position that has not had a nominee at all: administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration (PHMSA). Interestingly, despite all of the media attention on the horrible February derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, OH — including increased coverage of the response effort from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of Transportation (DOT) — there has been little attention on PHMSA itself.

      Keep ReadingShow Less
      Opinion
      railway safety
      Workers survey the damage from a train derailment

      Rail Workers Warn Safety Bill Loopholes Are Big Enough to 'Run a Freight Train Through'

      "If the language is not precise, the Class 1 railroads will avoid the scope of the law without violating the law, yet again putting the safety of our members and American communities into harm's way," said one union leader.

      Brett Wilkins
      Mar 03, 2023

      Amid heightened national focus on railway safety in the wake of the East Palestine, Ohio disaster and other recent accidents, one railroad workers' union warned Friday that, while welcome, a bipartisan rail safety bill has "loopholes big enough to operate a 7,000-foot train through."

      The Railway Safety Act of 2023—introduced earlier this week by Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)—is meant to "prevent future train disasters like the derailment that devastated East Palestine."

      Keep ReadingShow Less
      News
      railway safety act of 2023
      Smoke rises from a derailed cargo train in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 4, 2023.

      To Prevent More 'Catastrophic Derailments,' Rail Workers Outline Plan for Immediate Reforms

      "We demand that the railroad be run safely, efficiently, and professionally, and not as some 'cash cow' for Wall Street investors and billionaires," said one union leader. "Much of what is wrong with the rail industry today can be fixed easily and quickly."

      Kenny Stancil
      Feb 24, 2023

      Three weeks after the lives of East Palestine, Ohio residents were upended by a fiery wreck involving a Norfolk Southern-owned train overloaded with hazardous materials, rail union leaders on Friday implored federal regulators and lawmakers to "focus on the primary reasons for the derailment and take immediate action to prevent future disasters."

      In a statement, Railroad Workers United (RWU) pointed to the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) newly published preliminary report on the February 3 crash and subsequent burnoff of vinyl chloride and other carcinogenic chemicals, which suggests that an overheated wheel bearing likely caused the train to derail. The inter-union alliance of rail workers also cited NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, who said Thursday at a press conference: "This was 100% preventable. We call things accidents—there is no accident. Every single event that we investigate is preventable."

      Keep ReadingShow Less
      News
      ohio train crash
      SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
      Quality journalism. Progressive values. Direct to your inbox.
      Follow Us
      Most Popular

      House GOP Unveils Budget With Trillions in Cuts to Medicaid, Food Benefits, and More

      Auto Giants Refusing Union Demands Paid Just 1% in Federal Taxes on $42 Billion in Profits: Analysis

      Proposed Budget Offers Horrifying Vision of What Republicans Would Do If They Could

      Demanding an End to 'Deadly Fossil Fuels,' Tens of Thousands Take the Streets in NYC

      AOC Says Climate Movement Must Become 'Too Big and Too Radical to Ignore'

      Progressives Slam House GOP Push for Social Security 'Death Panel'

      With Alito's Billionaire Patron Holding $90 Million in Finance Firms, Watchdog Demands Recusal From CFPB Case

      Study Finds 'Forever Chemical' Exposure Increases Risk of Certain Cancers in Women

      Trump's Viciously Anti-Worker Record in the Spotlight Ahead of Detroit Trip

      Libya Dam Disaster Shows Horrific Consequences of US/NATO Imperialism

      Independent, nonprofit journalism needs your help.
      Please Pitch In
      Today!