WASHINGTON — House members from Pennsylvania and Ohio have introduced a bill requiring the Federal Railroad Administration to study tank car pressure relief valves, and provide a report to Congress on their findings, nearly three years after the disastrous February 2023 East Palestine, Ohio, hazardous materials derailment.
The Under Pressure Act was announced Thursday (Jan. 15) by U.S. Reps. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) and Michael Rulli (R-Ohio), who represent districts directly affected by the derailment. It would require the FRA to submit a report to Congress on the rate and causes of failures of pressure relief valves; make recommendations to remedy such failures; and update the status of National Transportation Safety Board recommendations regarding tank cars that have not been sufficiently addressed.
“We need better and more updated rules to keep communities and rail workers safe while the trains move freight across the country,” Deluzio said in a press release. “I’m proud to introduce the Under Pressure Act, which would study the performance of pressure relief devices in fiery train derailments to prevent even larger tragedies.”
The legislators say the legislation was developed in collaboration with the NTSB, rail industry groups, and rail unions.
“As we approach the three-year anniversary of the East Palestine derailment, we owe it to our communities to address every vulnerability in our rail safety systems,” Rulli said. “The Under Pressure Act will further our understanding of why pressure relief devices fail during derailments and how we can prevent those failures from turning accidents into disasters.”
Concerns over the possible failure of pressure relief valves on derailed tank cars of vinyl chloride led to the decision to perform a vent-and-burn procedure to eliminate the chemical; the black cloud resulting from that burn became the symbol of the East Palestine incident and raised questions about the spread of toxic chemicals in the area. The NTSB’s investigation determined that the vent-and-burn procedure was not necessary [see “NTSB issues 31 new recommendations …,” Trains.com, June 25, 2024].
Along with the NTSB, those involved in crafting the legislation included the Association of American Railroads, Railway Supply Institute, American Chemistry Council, Transportation Trades Council of the AFL-CIO, and five individual unions: the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes, International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), Transportation Communications Union, and Transport Workers Union.
Full text of the bill is available here.
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Nice to see some bi-partisan cooperation.