When you purchase products or services through our links we and our partners earn a small commission. Thank you.

This is what The Politicians Don’t Want You To Know about the East Palestine Train Wreck

Avery Wiseman

This is the truth that politicians don't want you to hear about the train derailment disaster in East Palestine, Ohio.

Barack Obama signs a bill to make trains carrying dangerous materials more safe

In 2015, former US President Barack Obama signed a bill aimed at improving the safety of trains carrying hazardous materials such as crude oil and ethanol. The bill, called the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), included several provisions to enhance the safety of such trains.

One key provision required the Department of Transportation to establish new standards for tank cars used to transport flammable liquids. The new standards would require tank cars to have thicker shells, better thermal insulation, and stronger top fittings to reduce the risk of leaks and explosions.

The FAST Act also required railroads to develop plans for responding to hazardous material spills, and it authorized funding for research into new technologies to improve the safety of trains carrying dangerous materials.

Overall, the bill was intended to help prevent accidents like the 2013 Lac-Megantic rail disaster in Quebec, Canada, which resulted in the deaths of 47 people and the destruction of much of the town’s center.

Donald trump's decision to remove the ECP brake rule from the FAST Act.

In May 2020, the Trump administration announced that it would rescind a requirement included in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) that mandated the installation of electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes on certain trains carrying hazardous materials.

The ECP brake rule was originally included in the FAST Act as a safety measure intended to prevent accidents involving trains carrying flammable materials such as crude oil and ethanol. ECP brakes are designed to reduce the stopping distance of trains and improve their overall stability, which can help prevent derailments and other types of accidents.

However, the Trump administration argued that the ECP brake rule was too costly and would not provide significant safety benefits. They estimated that the rule would cost the railroad industry approximately $375 million to implement, while only reducing the number of accidents involving trains carrying flammable materials by about one per year.

Critics of the decision argued that it was a short-sighted move that could put public safety at risk. They pointed out that accidents involving trains carrying hazardous materials have resulted in serious environmental damage and human casualties in the past, and that preventing such accidents should be a priority.