Rep. McNally's Statement One Year After East Palestine Train Derailment

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Lauren McNally (D-Youngstown) reflected today on the eve of February 3, 2024, one year following the disastrous train derailment in East Palestine.  

“I’ve never stopped keeping the people of this community close to my heart and mind while doing the work in the state legislature. We’ve learned many painful lessons about deregulation, train safety, health and the environment that we must learn from and be focused on addressing,” said Rep. McNally. “We’ve made some strides in righting a wrong that none of these people asked for, but there is still more that we can and should do. I’m not checking a box and settling; I’m moving forward and continuing this important work.”

Alongside her Democratic colleagues in the Ohio House of Representatives, Rep. McNally sent a letter to members of the Ohio House Finance Committee and the Ohio House Transportation Subcommittee of Finance with suggestions for the State Transportation Budget, focused on prevention, safety, and responsiveness. This included first-time-in-a-decade rail safety improvements such as mandatory two-person crews and wayside detector systems that immediately alert train crews of problems.

These measures are in effect while constitutionality challenges from the American Association of Railroads are litigated in federal court (Association of American Railroads v. Yost et al., case number 2:23-cv-02096). The Biden Administration filed a memorandum in support of these provisions, one of many responses from the federal government following the derailment and passage of House Resolution 33 (HR 33), a resolution jointly sponsored by Rep. McNally and Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel (R-Columbiana County) urging Congress to approve legislation requiring railroads to inform state and local governments when they run hazardous materials through their jurisdictions.

Rep. McNally, Ohio Senate, and House Democrats also urged the Governor to officially declare a disaster in East Palestine, which would have allowed for maximal support and resources from the federal government, and convened a roundtable with emergency responders and advocates to further discuss legislative solutions for those most impacted. She’s worked across the aisle to issue guidance on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for those who received direct financial assistance payments from Norfolk Southern following the derailment, and continues identifying funding sources for support in addition to the $148,559.40 in state funds secured for 11 recently constructed Multi-Agency Radio Communications System (MARCS) remote tower sites, helping to provide first responders and public safety providers improved interoperability among agencies in normal and emergency situations.