Lawmakers: I pray 'our families haven’t been poisoned 'black plume of burning chemicals'
Sen. Michael Rulli (R-33rd District) represents East Palestine and eastern portions of the state in the Ohio Senate.
When I raised my right hand and took my oath of office in January for another term representing the Mahoning Valley in the state senate, I envisioned crafting legislation to help small businesses succeed, providing aid to strengthen our schools, and guide my district to greater prosperity.
Barely two months later, I find myself praying that our children have safe drinking water and that our families haven’t been poisoned by a thick, black plume of burning chemicals.
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I want to make the valley a hub of manufacturing and strong, resilient businesses. It is now, however, synonymous with one of the worst train derailments our state has ever seen.
Thankfully, no one died in the incident. But as I meet with and hear from my constituents, some of whom resorted to desperately taping plastic sheeting to windows and doors to block ash and smoke from the Norfolk Southern derailment from seeping into their homes, I found that use of material ironic.
Some of the overturned rail cars were carrying vinyl chloride, a hazardous chemical used in the manufacturing of plastic materials like PVC water pipes. How ironic, indeed, that an end product of this chemical was what residents would rely on to protect themselves against it.
When you live near freight rail lines — as do many people in my district — the noise of the engines and cars rumbling past becomes background noise. You tend not to even think about the trains until you get stuck at a crossing gate, trying to count the rail cars as they whiz by.
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In fact, this issue will become very real for additional communities across the country as the Biden Administration just approved a merger between two of the biggest railroads, Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern that is projected to lead to another two million new tank cars with hazardous materials moving across the nation’s rail network.
I think most people understand that rail shipments are crucial to our economic prosperity. They are three to four times more fuel efficient than trucks, and each train can carry the equivalent freight of 100 trucks, according to their trade association’s statistics. There are positives to making sure that rail transportation remains viable.
Regardless, regulators and elected officials must scrutinize safety measures and ensure industry compliance with all existing regulations. And perhaps after the investigations are completed, we will have a complete picture on what else needs to be done to strengthen the regulations to ensure another community won’t face the same challenges as we have in East Palestine.
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In addition to the hearings and investigations we have conducted here in Ohio, I have also written to the chairman of the Federal Surface Transportation Board about the future of rail safety.
I am now committed to serving as a leading voice on this issue, much to my heartfelt dismay. But I will use whatever leverage I can to protect my community and others from suffering the same fate.
Sen. Michael Rulli (R-33rd District) represents East Palestine and eastern portions of the state in the Ohio Senate.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: East Palestine: What must be done to prevent train derailments
