Texas Railroad Commission fights to block rail safety bill

New legislation as been advanced to add guardrails in the wake of the derailment of Norfolk Southern trains in February. About 50 cars, including 10 carrying hazardous materials, derailed in a fiery crash. Federal investigators say a mechanical issue with a rail car axle caused the derailment.

WASHINGTON — The Texas Railroad Commission is urging Congress to block a bipartisan railroad safety bill written after the crash earlier this year of a cargo train carrying dangerous chemicals that forced the evacuation of a community in eastern Ohio.

In letters to Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, Commissioners Christi Craddick, Wayne Christian and Jim Wright said the bill could limit oil and gas companies’ ability to move their products by cargo train.

"The current federal administration is doing everything it can to limit domestic energy production, and this bill is just the latest effort to shut down the oil and gas industry in America," Craddick said. "I urge members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, and members of Congress to implement guardrails in this legislation before it moves forward."

The Railway Safety Act — which was written by a bipartisan coalition of senators including J.D. Vance, R-Ohio; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; and John Fetterman, D-Penn. — aims to tighten up safety rules around the movement of hazardous materials by train, expanding inspections and strengthening safety rules, while requiring rail companies to better maintain their equipment and more thoroughly report the materials they are transporting.

"Through this legislation, Congress has a real opportunity to ensure that what happened in East Palestine will never happen again," Vance said earlier this year, referring to the town where the train crash occurred. "We owe every American the peace of mind that their community is protected from a catastrophe of this kind."

The bill was reported out of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation last month and is awaiting a vote on the Senate floor.

Cruz came out against the bill last month, saying it would "make it much easier for this administration to restrict the transportation of coal, of oil, of natural gas and of ethanol."

"The burdens on moving these commodities would carry over to the many other trains in the rail network that carry crops and building materials and cars to market. That means more time and costs to deliver everything from industrial chemicals to orange juice," he said.

Cornyn's office declined to comment on the legislation Friday.