House bill would enhance safety requirements for hazmat trains

U.S. Reps. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) on July 11 introduced a bill calling for enhanced safety requirements for trains transporting hazardous materials. 

H.R. 8996 would incorporate aspects of freight-rail safety legislation introduced last year by U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), but also would set federal limits on freight-train lengths.

The House bill has been referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

The bill drew praise from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) for raising standards on tank cars carrying hazma;, placing limits on train length; mandating two-person train crews; and setting standards for rail-car maintenance, track maintenance and wayside defect detectors.

The bill also would require Class Is to adopt the Federal Railroad Administration’s close-call reporting system, BLET officials said in a press release.

“Congressional action is desperately needed to keep both railroaders and the communities our members operate through safe,” said BLET National President Eddie Hall.

Sens. Brown and Vance introduced their Railway Safety Act legislation last year following the Norfolk Southern Railway train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023.