Demand Progress

Koch Industries (led for decades by the Koch brothers) may be the sole reason the bipartisan Railway Safety Act — legislation put into motion by the disastrous train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio a year ago — is stalled in Congress.

The Norfolk Southern freight train derailment in East Palestine that led to what continues to be an environmental and health disaster in the area could’ve been prevented with better safety regulations. According to The Lever, Koch Industries has spent millions to lobby against railway safety regulations.¹ And the Trump administration rolled back safety standards a few years before the derailment.²

Sign the petition: Congress must act for the people and for safety — pass the Railway Safety Act now! Don’t let corporate greed and Koch lobbying stop important rail safety regulations.

Koch Industries lobbying against railway safety is just one of the corporate, right-wing causes taken up by the Koch brothers over the last few decades. Others included their shadowy network of right-wing think tanks and advocacy groups working against public health care, the social safety net, public education, and the fight against climate change.³

After a black mushroom cloud billowed toxic fumes for days after the train derailment in East Palestine, local residents immediately reported severe health issues. Countless people were exposed to chemicals with unknown long-term effects. Wildlife and plants died and continue to suffer.⁴

Norfolk Southern, the very company that caused the derailment, was one of the corporations lobbying the Trump administration to rollback safety standards while giving executives bonuses and spending billions on stock buybacks.⁵

Transit experts say the severity of this accident could have been dramatically reduced if the government had implemented basic safety regulations. The Obama administration introduced such rules back in 2014, but the Trump White House removed them, paving the way for the Ohio disaster.⁶

Congress must take a stand now and pass basic bipartisan rail safety legislation no matter how much Koch and other corporate lobbying it's up against. Congress has a duty to protect the people from corporate greed.

Sign the petition: Tell Congress to pass the Railway Safety Act!

Sources:

1. The Lever, "The Koch Network Is Killing Rail Safety," February 28, 2024.
2. Lever, “Rail Companies Blocked Safety Rules Before Ohio Derailment,” February 8, 2023.
3. The Lever, "The Koch Network Is Killing Rail Safety," February 28, 2024.
4. New Republic, "Life After the Ohio Train Derailment: Trouble Breathing, Dying Animals, and Saying Goodbye," February 13, 2023.
5. Lever, “Rail Companies Blocked Safety Rules Before Ohio Derailment,” February 8, 2023.
6. Ibid.