“Without railway reform, your town could be the next East Palestine”

Petrochemical companies — plastic manufacturers —  rely heavily on railroads to transport hazardous chemicals used to make plastics and other fossil fuel-derived products across the country.

Current railway safety standards and protocols are weak and ineffective, meaning one derailment can change a town forever like it did for East Palestine, Ohio in 2023.

Petrochemical expansion increases the volume of toxic chemicals that move through towns by rail, making preventable petrochemical disasters — like East Palestine — more likely and more devastating for innocent communities.

“Without railway reform, your town could be the next East Palestine” by Jess Conard at thehill.com details how stronger rail safety laws could prevent the next disaster.