Another Republican-caused disaster

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people of Columbiana County, Ohio - who voted 71% for Trump - are getting deregulation & limited government, and they're getting it good and hard.

That right there, folks, is the type of constructive thinking that’ll help pull this broken country together!

You broke it, you fix it. You leave the Dems to fix it every time and yet throw roadblocks to limit any positive impact.

Do you have your own source of food? Or would it surprise you that this was a massive farming area?

Calling it a massive farming area is a massive over statement

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people of Columbiana County, Ohio - who voted 71% for Trump - are getting deregulation & limited government, and they're getting it good and hard.

That right there, folks, is the type of constructive thinking that’ll help pull this broken country together!

You broke it, you fix it. You leave the Dems to fix it every time and yet throw roadblocks to limit any positive impact.

Do you have your own source of food? Or would it surprise you that this was a massive farming area?

Calling it a massive farming area is a massive over statement

Typical response. The repercussions will obviously not be immediate for us here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people of Columbiana County, Ohio - who voted 71% for Trump - are getting deregulation & limited government, and they're getting it good and hard.

That right there, folks, is the type of constructive thinking that’ll help pull this broken country together!

You broke it, you fix it. You leave the Dems to fix it every time and yet throw roadblocks to limit any positive impact.

Do you have your own source of food? Or would it surprise you that this was a massive farming area?

With a huge percentage of land owned by a very few landowners who donate to Republicans promising to shrink government.

That’s not how Amish farmers operate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people of Columbiana County, Ohio - who voted 71% for Trump - are getting deregulation & limited government, and they're getting it good and hard.

That right there, folks, is the type of constructive thinking that’ll help pull this broken country together!

You broke it, you fix it. You leave the Dems to fix it every time and yet throw roadblocks to limit any positive impact.

Do you have your own source of food? Or would it surprise you that this was a massive farming area?

Most of the farming in this country is industrial for export. There are plenty of local farmers who grow enough food to feed the region, if we wanted to make that choice. I do not know what is grown specifically in that area, but I highly doubt it is to sustain the food chain for Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Cinncinatti.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was a mixed freight train that was carrying hazardous materials. Maybe the rules should be that the railroads should be using advanced brakes for any train carrying any hazardous materials?

Why do you think it is acceptable to hide a few hazardous cars in an otherwise non-hazardous load and think it is ok if there is an incident like this?

Shouldn't we be striving to make our trains and communities as safe as possible?

What was stated above is not my opinion.
The Obama-era law that everyone is harping about would not have applied here. That is what the NTSB chairperson is saying.

What Republican rule would have applied or helped in any way? None.

That's right, NONE! Republicans have done NOTHING to improve rail safety and in fact constantly obstruct and reverse every improvement Democrats try to make.

Yet here you a-holes are, trying to blame Democrats who at least tried, and failed, as opposed to CORRECTLY blaming Republicans, who CAUSED the problem in the first place!

How so, my dear?

DP

1) incentivsing bonuses and stock buybacks rather than investment in safety and R&D
2) by holding and then eliminating rules around modern braking systems
3) by poisoning the public to believe the government has no role in everyday lives

This is a crock of $hit.

First, the elimination of the rule would not have impacted this train. Even the head of the NTSB said that.
Secondly, no Republican will tell you that the government has no role. They have a limited role... which they have overstepped wildly. Public safety is indeed the role of the Fed. Govt.
And, as for bonuses and buybacks....... these can happen as well as investment in safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people of Columbiana County, Ohio - who voted 71% for Trump - are getting deregulation & limited government, and they're getting it good and hard.

That right there, folks, is the type of constructive thinking that’ll help pull this broken country together!

You broke it, you fix it. You leave the Dems to fix it every time and yet throw roadblocks to limit any positive impact.

Do you have your own source of food? Or would it surprise you that this was a massive farming area?

With a huge percentage of land owned by a very few landowners who donate to Republicans promising to shrink government.

That’s not how Amish farmers operate.

The Amish aren't significant owners of farms in that area of Ohio. They're more likely to be carpenters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Secondly, no Republican will tell you that the government has no role. They have a limited role... which they have overstepped wildly.

Typical. Even though they're always railing against "government," any time you point to a place where government would be useful, Republican apologists will say "oh, well we didn't mean eliminate *that* kind of government."

[Anonymous]

GOP has no issue taking blue taxpayers money when natural disasters hit in red states like Florida or Texas or the gulf state (Hurricanes) or tornado alley.

GOP has no issue complaining about a lack of federal response in this case even though the governer specifically told the Feds he didn't want their help.

IOW, GOP complain about everything but want the freebees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Better question: why did republican appointed (TWICE) Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao leave such a huge mess to be cleaned up?

Related question: why did Chao's husband Mitch McConnell fast-track Trump's nominee for DoT Inspector General rather than allow a Biden pick?

Question: A nominee that is nominated in June and voted on in Dec. is considered fast tracked?

Compared to some of these other nominees, yes: https://www.enotrans.org/article/senate-confirms-new-dot-inspector-general-but-other-nominees-still-waiting/

[Anonymous]

Mayor Pete and USDOT have proposals for the rail industry, USDOT, and Congress to make improve accountability and rail safety:

Railroad industry:

1. Protect workers who spot safety issues from reprisal, by joining FRA’s Confidential Close Call Reporting Program. This program allows railroads and their employees to report unsafe events and conditions without fear of negative consequences from the FRA or reprisal from their employers. To date Amtrak, many commuter rail and short line companies are part of this program, but not a single Class I railroad participates. This must change immediately.

2. Deploy new inspection technologies without seeking permission to abandon human inspections. The removal of human inspections has been a top priority for the rail lobbyists. Recent waiver requests around technology like Automated Track Inspection (ATI) have been framed by industry to set up a false choice between technology and human oversight. We need both to keep our nation’s railroads safe.

3. Require the owners of tank cars they operate to expedite the phase-in of safer (DOT 117) tank cars in advance of the Congressionally mandated 2029 deadline.

4. Provide proactive advance notification to state emergency response teams when they are transporting hazardous gas tank cars through their states instead of expecting first responders to look up this information after an incident occurs. USDOT is also pursuing further requirements in this area, but railroads should not wait.

5. Provide paid sick leave. A healthy and well-supported workforce is a safer workforce. This doesn’t have to wait for national negotiations—companies can come to terms individually with their labor unions. Some carriers are in the process of doing this. This Administration believes that all workers deserved paid sick leave.

USDOT will continue, and further enhance, its work on freight rail safety, including:

1. Advancing the Train Crew Staffing Rule, which will require a minimum of two crewmembers for most railroad operations. This rule is intended to keep workers and communities safe. Research indicates that an increase in physical tasks and cognitive demands for a one-person crew could potentially lead to task overload or a loss of situational awareness that could cause an accident. Despite two-person train crews being industry standard, the rail industry has resisted being regulated on this front and pushed for crews of less than two people.

2. Initiating a focused safety inspection program on routes over which high-hazard flammable trains (HHFTs) and other trains carrying large volumes of hazardous material travel.

3. Initiating a focused inspection program of legacy tank cars and the shippers and railroads who have chosen not to upgrade to the safer tank cars (DOT 117).

4. Deploying the resources from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law under programs including the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI), the new Railroad Crossing Elimination Program and the Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) program among others to fund projects that modernize and improve rail tracks, eliminate at-grade rail crossings and improve rail safety.

5. Pursuing further rulemaking, to the extent possible under current statute, on high-hazard flammable trains (HHFT) and electronically controlled pneumatic brakes (ECP).

Congress can strengthen rail safety by:

1. Increasing the maximum fines that USDOT can issue to rail companies for violating safety regulations. The current maximum fine, even for an egregious violation involving hazard materials and resulting in fatalities, is $225,455. This is a rounding error for a company that reported an astonishing record annual operating income in 2022 of $4.8 billion, and has posted operating margins approaching 40%.

2. Following through on new bipartisan support to expand and strengthen rules governing high-hazardous shipments, including high-hazard flammable trains (HHFT), pushing past industry opposition.

3. Following through on new bipartisan support to modernize braking regulations and increase the use of electronically controlled pneumatic brakes (ECP).

4. Speeding up the phase-in of safer (DOT 117) tank cars to carry hazardous materials. Congress established a phase-in schedule under the 2015 FAST Act which gives owners of tank cars until 2029 to fully adopt stronger (DOT 117) tank cars. The original 2015 HHFT Rule required the phase-in by 2025. Congress can act now to speed, rather than slow, this important safety measure.

5. Increasing funding to expand hazardous materials training for first responders.


This obviously won't mean a thing to people who just want a class-action cash register or a political football, but people who want a better, safer rail system should embrace these things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GOP has no issue taking blue taxpayers money when natural disasters hit in red states like Florida or Texas or the gulf state (Hurricanes) or tornado alley.

GOP has no issue complaining about a lack of federal response in this case even though the governer specifically told the Feds he didn't want their help.

IOW, GOP complain about everything but want the freebees.

Sorry, today Pete said he actually had epa on site “within hours”.

[Anonymous]

Another one in Nebraska. Yup. Nothing to see here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was a mixed freight train that was carrying hazardous materials. Maybe the rules should be that the railroads should be using advanced brakes for any train carrying any hazardous materials?

Why do you think it is acceptable to hide a few hazardous cars in an otherwise non-hazardous load and think it is ok if there is an incident like this?

Shouldn't we be striving to make our trains and communities as safe as possible?

What was stated above is not my opinion.
The Obama-era law that everyone is harping about would not have applied here. That is what the NTSB chairperson is saying.

What Republican rule would have applied or helped in any way? None.

That's right, NONE! Republicans have done NOTHING to improve rail safety and in fact constantly obstruct and reverse every improvement Democrats try to make.

Yet here you a-holes are, trying to blame Democrats who at least tried, and failed, as opposed to CORRECTLY blaming Republicans, who CAUSED the problem in the first place!

How so, my dear?

DP

1) incentivsing bonuses and stock buybacks rather than investment in safety and R&D
2) by holding and then eliminating rules around modern braking systems
3) by poisoning the public to believe the government has no role in everyday lives

This is a crock of $hit.

First, the elimination of the rule would not have impacted this train. Even the head of the NTSB said that.
Secondly, no Republican will tell you that the government has no role. They have a limited role... which they have overstepped wildly. Public safety is indeed the role of the Fed. Govt.
And, as for bonuses and buybacks....... these can happen as well as investment in safety.

Norfolk Southern announced a buyback of up to $10 billion in April 2022: http://www.nscorp.com/content/nscorp/en/news/norfolk-southern-announces-new--10-billion-stock-repurchase-prog.html

In 2021, Norfolk Southern eliminated thousand of jobs to cut costs due to precision railroad scheduling, which is now being attributed to this catastophe. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/unions-allege-norfolk-southern-job-cuts-saddled-engineers-with-other-duties

The only crock of $hit here, is your belief in thinking that companies will actually make investments in safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GOP has no issue taking blue taxpayers money when natural disasters hit in red states like Florida or Texas or the gulf state (Hurricanes) or tornado alley.

GOP has no issue complaining about a lack of federal response in this case even though the governer specifically told the Feds he didn't want their help.

IOW, GOP complain about everything but want the freebees.

Because red states are forced to pay into the Federal system. The real question is, if they weren’t would TX then need NY’s taxpayer dollars, for instance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was a mixed freight train that was carrying hazardous materials. Maybe the rules should be that the railroads should be using advanced brakes for any train carrying any hazardous materials?

Why do you think it is acceptable to hide a few hazardous cars in an otherwise non-hazardous load and think it is ok if there is an incident like this?

Shouldn't we be striving to make our trains and communities as safe as possible?

What was stated above is not my opinion.
The Obama-era law that everyone is harping about would not have applied here. That is what the NTSB chairperson is saying.

What Republican rule would have applied or helped in any way? None.

That's right, NONE! Republicans have done NOTHING to improve rail safety and in fact constantly obstruct and reverse every improvement Democrats try to make.

Yet here you a-holes are, trying to blame Democrats who at least tried, and failed, as opposed to CORRECTLY blaming Republicans, who CAUSED the problem in the first place!

How so, my dear?

DP

1) incentivsing bonuses and stock buybacks rather than investment in safety and R&D
2) by holding and then eliminating rules around modern braking systems
3) by poisoning the public to believe the government has no role in everyday lives

This is a crock of $hit.

First, the elimination of the rule would not have impacted this train. Even the head of the NTSB said that.
Secondly, no Republican will tell you that the government has no role. They have a limited role... which they have overstepped wildly. Public safety is indeed the role of the Fed. Govt.
And, as for bonuses and buybacks....... these can happen as well as investment in safety.

But is mostly doesn't. Otherwise we wouldn't have as many rail issues as we seem to have.