Brown seeks stronger rail safety measures

YOUNGSTOWN — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, this morning called for strong safety standards for railcars transporting hazardous materials to protect Ohio communities.

Standing with firefighters and public safety officials during a news conference at the Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency office, Brown outlined his legislation to help speed up the phase-out of older, dangerous tank cars and encourage companies to replace them with newer, safer cars.

Brown has introduced legislation to take unsafe oil trains off the tracks and give local emergency responders the resources they need when accidents happen.

The bill, known as the Hazardous Materials Rail Transportation Safety Improvement Act of 2015, is Senate Bill 1175.

The legislation would build on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s new regulations – finalized in May – to tighten safety standards on new and existing railcars, and update handling methods of hazardous and other materials.

DOT estimates trains carrying crude oil or ethanol will derail an average of 10 times per year for the next 20 years, causing as much as $4 billion in property damage.