Wednesday, February 22, 2023
To: Members of the Ohio House of Representatives Finance Committee
From: Spencer Dirrig, Director, Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund
Re: Amendments to House Bill 23
Dear Honorable Representatives,
I am writing to inform you that the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) Action Fund is in support of the rail safety amendments proposed to House Bill 23 (HB 23), the transportation budget bill. We urge that all of these amendments be included in HB 23 to ensure the maximum amount of safety for Ohioans as a tremendous amount of cargo moves through our state by railroad.
Specifically, the amendments that have been proposed that we support include:
AM_134_0101 - Require at least two-person railroad crew on trains
AM_135_0153 - Railway Wayside (Defect) Detector Systems: require PUCO to ensure these devices are operational, effective, and up to date
AM_135-0137 - Rail yard lighting and walkways safety requirements
AM_135-0143 - Railway Safety Zone
AM_135_0141 - Increase funding for the Ohio Rail Development Commission to $15 million / fiscal year
AM_135_0029-2 - Require PUCO reporting when railroad blocks crossing
Ohio families deserve to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and play without worry in their communities. Accidents like Norfolk Southern’s train derailment and toxic chemical spill in East Palestine jeopardize Ohioans’ ability to live safe and healthy lives while perpetuating historical environmental injustices in our state — especially in this community that continues to be harmed by extractive fossil fuel and other polluting industries.
Leaders of the Ohio General Assembly must pass rail safety legislation designed to prevent an incident like this from occurring again. In addition to those critical reforms, state and federal leaders must also ensure legislative and regulatory reforms to guarantee a swift, collaborative, and transparent response to future emergencies similar to this train derailment. To that end, elected officials must ensure agencies who provide these critical functions receive the funding they need, rather than being systematically defunded, as they have been historically.
If you have any questions, please direct them to Spencer Dirrig at sdirrig@theoec.org.
Sincerely,
Spencer Dirrig
OEC Action Fund Director