In the wake of the Norfolk Southern crisis in Ohio, U.S. Congressman Pat Ryan today demanded that CSX adopt additional safety standards to prevent a similar accident from happening in the Hudson Valley. CSX continuously runs freight trains along the west shore of the Hudson River through Newburgh, New Windsor, and Cornwall.
Ryan wrote a letter to CSX President and CEO Joseph Hinrichs demanding additional safety standards and also made an urgent call for a Congressional hearing on rail safety.
“We’ve seen a disturbing pattern of CSX consistently putting profit over safety, creating serious risk that what happened in Ohio could repeat itself right here in the Hudson Valley,” Ryan stated. “Just like Norfolk Southern, CSX and other big rail corporations spent millions lobbying the last President to deregulate the railways, resulting in the administration withdrawing a proposal to require faster brakes on trains carrying highly flammable materials and ending regular rail safety audits of railroads.”
CSX trains, often carrying toxic materials, have repeatedly derailed across the country in the past few years, according to Ryan. This includes a derailment a month ago in South Carolina, two derailments in January of this year that caused power outages in Ohio and Michigan, and a 2017 derailment in Newburgh that spilled approximately 4,600 tons of diesel fuel.
The portion of tracks running through Newburgh, New Windsor, and Cornwall can see 20 freight trains per day, according to Ryan, with as many as five carrying the explosion-prone Bakken crude oil. Given the line’s direct proximity to the Hudson River and population centers, any incident involving this toxic cargo could be catastrophic, threatening the drinking water of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers.
“The American people are now paying the price for this corporate greed,” Ryan continued. “I’m calling on CSX to immediately and proactively adopt common-sense safety standards, and demanding that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hold a hearing so that we can protect families in the Hudson Valley and across the United States.”
City of Newburgh Mayor Torrance Harvey agreed. “Just a few years ago, a CSX derailment in Newburgh spilled 4,600 tons of diesel fuel – I am worried a future derailment could cause even more damage,” Harvey explained. “To wait any longer to make these safety changes is unacceptable. CSX cannot stand by while communities of color like mine sit on what feels like a ticking time-bomb.”
Harvey thanked Ryan for working directly with local leaders and for fighting for the Hudson Valley. “Whether it be standing up to Central Hudson or CSX, I know he has our back,” Harvey declared.
Ryan is calling on Congress to immediately enact the following rail safety measures by:
- Increasing the maximum fines that USDOT can issue to rail companies for violating safety regulations. The current maximum fine, even for an egregious violation involving hazardous materials and resulting in fatalities, is $225,455. This is a rounding error for a company like Norfolk Southern that reported an astonishing record annual operating income in 2022 of $4.8 billion, and has posted operating margins approaching 40%.
- Following through on new bipartisan support to expand and strengthen rules governing high-hazardous shipments, including high-hazard flammable trains (HHFT), pushing past industry opposition.
- Following through on new bipartisan support to modernize braking regulations and increase the use of electronically controlled pneumatic brakes (ECP).
- Speeding up the phase-in of safer (DOT 117) tank cars to carry hazardous materials. Congress established a phase-in schedule under the 2015 FAST Act which gives owners of tank cars until 2029 to fully adopt stronger (DOT 117) tank cars. The original 2015 HHFT Rule required the phase-in by 2025. Congress must act now to speed, rather than slow, this important safety measure.
- Increasing funding to expand hazardous materials training for first responders
In addition, RYan is urging CSX, Norfolk Southern, and the entire freight rail industry to join the federal Confidential Close Call Reporting Program, deploy new inspection technologies without abandoning human inspections, require tank car owners to expedite the phase-in of safer tank cars currently mandated by a 2029 deadline, provide proactive advance notification to emergency response teams when transporting hazardous gas tank cars through areas, and provide paid sick leave to workers.
