1,000 signatures reached
To: Secretary of Transportation/Department of Transportation
Norfolk Southern: The Ohio Train Derailment can never happen again
On February 3, a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, a city in Ohio near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Residents were forced to evacuate, and toxic fumes have decreased the air quality. Perhaps one of the worst parts of this entire disaster: it was preventable.
The Department of Transportation should revive the ECP brake rule and protect people from preventable environmental disasters that could affect the air they breathe, the water they drink and control whether or not they stay in their homes.
Why is this important?
Railroad workers have warned people in power that a disaster of this magnitude could happen without stricter rules and safety measures on trains. We need the Department of Transportation to take this seriously and force companies to use braking technology that will save lives. Right now, most train companies, including the Norfolk Southern train that derailed in Ohio, use braking technology from the Civil War (yes you read that correctly).
The evacuation order was lifted last week and residents have been returning. But since then, there’s been a growing number of reports about people experiencing a burning sensation in their eyes, and animals rapidly falling ill in East Palestine. It could happen to any of us, as trains carrying these chemicals and freight ride past our communities and cities daily. We need to make the right investments to save human lives and protect workers.
Photo Credit: MSNBC News