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New rule would make all railroads alert first responders within 10 miles of derailed train cargo
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FILE - This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed the night before in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 4, 2023. The Federal Railroad Administration recently completed a review of Norfolk Southern's safety culture done in the wake of the fiery Feb. 3 derailment in Ohio, and officials plan to follow up with similar investigations of all the major freight railroads over the next year. - photo by AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File
ATLANTA (AP) — Federal regulators want first responders to a train derailment to know exactly what they are dealing with even before they reach the scene, because the dangerous chemicals trains carry might require a specialized response. So the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration proposed a new rule Wednesday that would require all railroads to immediately send the details of everything aboard their trains to every emergency responder within 10 miles, as soon as the railroad becomes aware of an accident. The new rule comes one day ahead of a National Transportation Safety Board hearing to scrutinize emergency responses to the fiery Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train outside East Palestine, Ohio.