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US RAIL SAFETY
GOP SEEMS STUCK IN THE DISTANT PAST Conservative group pushes back on bipartisan rail safety bill 
A view of the scene Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, as the cleanup continues at the site of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment that happened on Feb. 3, in East Palestine, Ohio. On Tuesday, Feb. 28, in the wake of a fiery Ohio derailment and other recent crashes, federal regulators urged that freight railroads should reexamine the way they use and maintain the detectors along the tracks that are supposed to spot overheating bearings. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, File) Original article: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/3899376-conservative-group-pushes-back-on-bipartisan-rail-safety-bill/ Peter Burgess COMMENTARY While I am a supporter of 'business' and 'free enterprise' and essentially most everything to do with the 'capitalist system'. However, I am also appalled at the behavior of some of the other supporters of these things and the behavior of many of the key participants in the system. There have been a number of high profile people like Milton Friedman (University of Chicago) who promoted the idea that the only purpose of business was to deliver the maximum of incremental wealth of the owners (investors). I don't know where that idea originated ... but it has become a key talking point for many on the political right. Quite early in the industrial revolution it was understood by many serious entrepreneurs that capitalism and industrialization had enormous potential to benefit society and to be profitable. In the UK, Lever Brothers started out as a social business making low priced soap to improve health and living standards for ordinary people ... and it make money at the same time ... and it employed people at fair wages and in safe conditions. A number of chocolate manufacturers in the UK also operated with social goals during the 19th century and also were financially successful. And of course, the social impact of railways was huge while at the same time many (maybe most) investments in railways were profitable. The idea that profit is the only goal of modern business should be a non-starter, but there is a substantial part of the population that buys into this idea. This community also is of the view that almost any government oversight is bound to have a negative impact. Certainly there are examples of sloppy legislation and poor government performance when it comes to oversight, but the idea that 'anything goes' is a better way forward is truly insane. I have recently done a little bit of digging into the current state of railroad technology. It came as something of a shock to learn that the current system of braking on US freight trains is based on technology first deployed in the middle of the 19th century more than 150 years ago ... and for all practical purposes most of the modern mile-long freight trains are really running 'brake-less' for several minutes after the brakes are first applied. Better technology has been developed, but business interests have made sure that it is not mandated for general use even though it would make for a lot more safety. I have been of the opinion that BNSF was a 'good' company within a rather low quality industry ... but I am not sure that this is valid. Maybe BNSF is just as bad as the rest of them! Peter Burgess | ||
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Conservative group pushes back on bipartisan rail safety bill
BY JULIA SHAPERO 03/14/23 10:00 AM ET A conservative advocacy group is pushing lawmakers to oppose a bipartisan rail safety bill that was introduced in the wake of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, claiming it would create “gross inefficiencies” for businesses and give the Department of Transportation “unimaginable authority.” “Introduced following the horrible accident in East Palestine, Ohio, the legislation offers a slew of significant new regulations that would do little to improve safety while creating gross inefficiencies for thousands of businesses,” FreedomWorks said in a letter to lawmakers on Monday. “The provisions within the bill are much like the list of recommendations offered by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and would grant this struggling agency unimaginable authority,” the group added. FreedomWorks instead suggested that lawmakers focus on “recovery for the people of East Palestine” and ensure “Norfolk Southern makes good on their commitments,” while waiting for more information from the National Transportation Safety Board on the derailment. The Railway Safety Act of 2023 was introduced by Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown (D) and J.D. Vance (R), Pennsylvania Sens. Bob Casey (D) and John Fetterman (D), among others, following the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals, such as vinyl chloride, in the town of East Palestine, near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Authorities conducted a controlled release and burn-off of the chemicals following the derailment amid fears of a potential explosion. However, concerns remain about potential health hazards created by the spill and authorities’ response. The bill would create new safety requirements for trains carrying hazardous materials, require more frequent use of sensors that detect overheated wheel bearings, increase inspections of rail cars, raise fines for safety violations, and mandate at least a two-person crew per train. FreedomWorks said in its letter to lawmakers on Monday that despite the “preventable accident” in East Palestine, “U.S. railroads are safe overall.” “Rail companies would be forced to divert resources away from critical research and development, which could have otherwise been used to advance new technologies and improve efficiency,” it added. The proposed legislation was already facing pushback from some Senate Republicans. Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican, suggested that it was too soon to take action and that he was “uncomfortable” giving “much more power” to the Department of Transportation and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We’ll take a look at what’s being proposed, but an immediate quick response heavy on regulation needs to be thoughtful and targeted,” Thune told The Hill. “Let’s define the problem. Let’s figure out what the solutions are and if there are things we need to fix, we’ll fix them.” TAGS BOB CASEY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION EAST PALESTINE EAST PALESTINE TRAIN DERAILMENT FREEDOMWORKS JOHN THUNE RAILWAY SAFETY ACT OF 2023 SHERROD BROWN Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
| The text being discussed is available at | https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/3899376-conservative-group-pushes-back-on-bipartisan-rail-safety-bill/ and |