The Feb. 3 derailment along the Ohio-Pennsylvania border of a train carrying toxic chemicals has prompted new legislation and revived long-stalled efforts as backers voice skepticism that the federal government can help.
, with the Republican-controlled government enacting a new law within two months of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine.
The sponsor, Rep. Rob Matzie, a Democrat whose western Pennsylvania district is home to a major rail freight handling hub, said he is satisfied with the state's legal standing. "It’s now time for this state to act," Matzie told colleagues during floor arguments. "We can’t wait for federal regulations, which always seem to be in the works, but never quite get done. Or for federal laws that will never ever see the light of day."
Railroads, however, argue that federal law broadly gives federal agencies exclusive jurisdiction to regulate rail transportation and that state laws ostensibly aimed at rail safety often do not actually improve safety.For instance, a 2008 law requiring the deployment of positive train control systems — equipment designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, over-speed derailments and other accidents — wasn't fully implemented until almost 2021.
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