Letter: Where will the next East Palestine be?

Dear Editor,

I want to commend Dale Bogart, a local railroad worker, for his superb LTE that appeared in a recent Pennysaver Press edition regarding railroad safety. His concern is that the industry is promoting up to 75% reduction in visual safety inspections to be replaced with the technological equivalent, Automatic Track Inspections (ATI). This is being promoted by those sitting in “railroad’s C-suites and boardrooms” along with the lobbyists who work for the Association of American Railroads (AAR). 

What is further disturbing is that this effort also proposes to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the government agency that oversees railroad safety, to allow track defects to remain unrepaired for up to 72 hours.

Mr. Bogart mentions the catastrophe that occurred in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, 2023, when a hazardous freight train derailed. There were 38 cars that burned for two days, releasing huge amounts of hydrogen chloride and phosgene. 

According to the Wikipedia entry: “Following the derailment, reaction and commentary focused on industry working conditions and safety concerns, including the lack of modern brake safety regulations, the implementation of precision scheduled railroading (PSR), reduced railway workers per train, and increased train lengths and weight. Critics said train companies had failed to invest in maintenance to prevent accidents, even though they conduct stock buybacks.”

President Donald Trump visited on Feb. 22, 2023, along with J.D. Vance, who was the U.S. Senator from Ohio. This was certainly a smart move on their part. President Biden did not visit East Palestine until a year later, although he did make this remark: “Let me be clear. While there are acts of God, this was an act of greed that was 100% preventable.”

Although there were no immediate deaths, a lawsuit filed on Feb. 2, 2025 alleges that at least seven people have died, including one infant. This catastrophe recalls an even worse one that occurred in 2013 in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, Canada, in which an oil train derailed, killing 47 people and burning 30 buildings.

The FRA, as you might suspect, is subject to personnel cuts from DOGE. This will slow the process of administering grants that have been approved, as well as some that may never see the light of day under the new administration.

Mr. Bogart ended his letter with a plea for the public to contact Congress to stop this compromise regarding railroad safety: “The allowance of the railroads to replace human safety inspection only poses what is otherwise an unnecessary risk to the safety of your community and begs the question: Where will the next East Palestine be? Will it be here in our town?”

Sincerely,

Ed Nizalowski

Newark Valley, N.Y.