WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, May 17, AWC CEO Deanna Dawson and President Rob Putaansuu (Mayor, Port Orchard) joined a press conference hosted by the National League of Cities and U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell on the need for Congress to act on rail safety.
Photo credit: NLC – more photos
AWC and other local leaders highlighted their communities’ rail concerns and urged the Senate to pass the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023. Watch the press conference.
Around 140,000 miles of track in the U.S. cross directly through many of the nation’s 19,000 cities, towns, and villages. The unfortunate derailment and environmental contamination in East Palestine, Ohio, is not unprecedented, with more than 1,000 trains derailing last year in multiple states. More than 500 cities, towns, and villages signed letters urging Congress to act on rail safety.
Freight mobility is essential to Washington state’s economy, and rail safety is critically important to cities and towns in Washington. There have been many train derailments in Washington—most recently in March, a train derailed on the Swinomish tribal reservation near Anacortes spilling over 3,000 gallons of diesel.
Rail safety has been a long-standing issue for Washington and continues to be a priority for its cities. In 2014, AWC formed an ad hoc freight rail committee to address these issues, and AWC is an active supporter and participant of the Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board, which works to fund at-grade separation/crossing projects and identifies other solutions in supporting freight mobility and maintaining rail safety.
“The bipartisan Railway Safety Act is trying to prevent disasters like East Palestine from happening in any other town in America again,” said Senator Maria Cantwell, chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. “We took the lessons of East Palestine and turned them into legislation.”
“From the Kent Valley to the Yakima Valley to Spokane Valley and everywhere in between, rail safety is a top concern for cities all across Washington state,” said Deanna Dawson. “Trains run through our downtowns, near our playgrounds and schools, and along our rivers and Puget Sound. We applaud Senator Cantwell for her long-standing commitment to protecting our communities through this important legislation and stand with a broad coalition of mayors and councilmembers from across the country in supporting this bipartisan legislation.”
The passage of the Railway Safety Act for Washington helps to build on work that Washington cities have been doing with other stakeholders at the state level to address disruptions to communities along rail lines and improve rail safety.
The bipartisan Railway Safety Act passed the Senate Commerce Committee last week. The legislation must now pass the full Senate. Read a summary of its key provisions.
Dawson and Mayor Putaansuu traveled to D.C. for the National League of Cities State Municipal League leadership fly-in. They met with key congressional staff to discuss municipal priorities and advocate on the behalf of their residents. On Thursday, the group visited the White House to meet with key staff and discuss investments in infrastructure, the debt ceiling, and other local priorities.
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The National League of Cities (NLC) is the voice of America’s cities, towns and villages, representing more than 200 million people. NLC works to strengthen local leadership, influence federal policy and drive innovative solutions.
AWC serves its members through advocacy, education, and services. Founded in 1933, AWC is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan corporation that represents Washington's cities and towns before the state legislature, the state executive branch, and with regulatory agencies. Membership is voluntary. However, AWC consistently maintains 100 percent participation from Washington’s 281 cities and towns.