Risks to Residents of the Upper Ohio River Valley From Railroad Incidents

The transportation of hazardous materials such as crude oil, refined petroleum products, petrochemicals, and liquified natural gas by rail is inherently, well, hazardous, despite the assertions of regulators like the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) that it can be done safely. In this light, these agencies are bending the use of the word “safety” beyond recognition, so that it is more of a marker of frequency and statistics than the risks posed to any individual that might live in harm’s way.

With 742 rail incidents in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia in a little less than three and a half years, it’s fair to say that even the statistical perspective isn’t really that impressive. And depending on what is involved in these incidents and where they occur, the lives of thousands of people can be disrupted and put at risk, as was the case with the East Palestine, Ohio incident in February 2023. Chemical spills into rivers and streams from these derailments and collisions could potentially impact millions of residents. These incidents can also contribute to long-term health effects for people with chemical exposures that include but are not limited to cancer.

It’s time for us to be more mindful about the use and transportation of these hazardous products, and to be more honest about the risks that residents along the rail lines are being subjected to on a daily basis. It’s time for regulators to stop claiming that safety has been achieved, or indeed, is even achievable when all they really mean to say is that the risk for other people is within what they consider to be tolerable parameters.