Sponsors (17)
The bill increases community and responder safety and transparency by expanding which trains are treated as high‑hazard and requiring timely reporting, but it imposes compliance costs and tight deadlines that could strain carriers, regulators, and potentially raise consumer prices while creating risks from rushed implementation or sensitive information disclosure.
Residents living near rail lines (rural and urban communities) experience lower risk of catastrophic fires, explosions, and toxic exposures because more trains carrying flammable or toxic-by-inhalation materials would be designated high‑hazard and subject to stricter safety rules and faster reporting.
Rail workers, local first responders, and emergency planners get clearer standards and faster, standardized incident information, improving training, preparedness, and on-the-ground emergency response after derailments.
Businesses and supply chains may see fewer and shorter accident-related disruptions because stricter hazard designation and centralized reporting can speed cleanup and reduce downstream impacts on freight movement.
Rail carriers, shippers, and small businesses face higher compliance and operational costs (retrofitting, slower transit, data collection), which could be passed to consumers as higher prices for goods moved by rail.
A 90‑day statutory deadline for rulemaking risks rushed regulations with limited stakeholder input, increasing the likelihood of litigation, implementation confusion, and enforcement challenges for railroads and regulators.
A strict 24‑hour reporting requirement for hazardous inventories could produce incomplete or rushed reports if carriers lack immediate access to full material manifests, reducing report reliability and complicating emergency response and investigations.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Revises the federal definition of 'high-hazard flammable train' to include a single tank car with flammable liquid or gas and requires 24‑hour reporting of derailments with toxic-by-inhalation materials.
Introduced January 31, 2025 by Chris Deluzio · Last progress January 31, 2025
Requires the Secretary of Transportation to update the federal definition of a "high-hazard flammable train" within 90 days so that a single train carrying one or more loaded tank cars with Class 3 flammable liquids or Class 2 flammable gases is covered. Creates a new law requiring railroad carriers to report any derailment involving materials that are toxic by inhalation to the National Response Center and to State, local, and Tribal officials within 24 hours.