Thirteen municipal officials in Ulster County have joined with Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger in demanding stronger regulations of the freight railroad industry that they say would improve safety.
Their action comes in the wake of train derailments in which hazardous materials caught fire, especially the accident at East Palestine, Ohio, in which hazardous chemicals burned for several days. They signed a letter to the Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Administrator Amit Bose.
The Ulster County leaders urged the FRA and DOT to strengthen safety standards on tank cars, require electronic braking systems, implement derailment detectors, enact minimum safe staffing levels, increase minimum fines on bad actors, improve the safety of at-grade crossings, increase funding for equipment and training for local first responders, and providing advance notice when hazardous materials are being shipped through the county.
Thirty-eight miles of West Shore Rail Line run through seven municipalities in Ulster County, including through the most densely developed urban cores, and 13 miles of track are located on the shores of the Hudson River. On an annual basis, more than 25 million tons of freight, including crude petroleum, waste, industrial chemicals, motor vehicles, and other goods and materials are transported through these communities. Nearly 200 trains pass over 30 at-grade rail crossings every week in Ulster County.
“In our community, as in many others across the nation, rail infrastructure is inadequately maintained and presents unacceptable risks and hazards,” the letter said. “Over the years, our communities have documented many concerning conditions, including unsafe bridges, dilapidated crossings, and dangerous track conditions.”
The letter said that with railroad companies reporting record earnings the lack of investment to protect public health and safety is unacceptable.
The municipal officials wrote, “We urge you to consider the role that rail transport can play as a climate solution in the transportation sector. Moving freight by rail rather than by truck reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75 percent on average, with a single train replacing hundreds of trucks on the highway network. Electrifying rail transport would build on the inherent efficiency of rail and would further reduce emissions while also eliminating the adverse health and quality-of-life impacts of diesel-powered trains on neighborhoods near rail lines.”
The letter stated that more than 100,000 residents depend upon the Hudson River for their drinking water supply, and a large rail accident along the shores of the Hudson River would be disastrous.
“Rail infrastructure is a critical part of our transportation infrastructure and an inherently efficient means of commerce, but for far too long, critical health and safety issues have not received the attention they deserve,” the letter said.
“In the wake of the East Palestine disaster, there is no excuse for inaction,” the officials concluded.
