Sen. Cantwell Questions Railroad Execs on Derailment Cleanup and Spectrum Use

Railroad Safety and Derailment Statistics

• ⚠️ Senator Cantwell questioned former railroad executive Mr. Jensen regarding Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) numbers indicating an 850% higher mainline derailment rate for his company compared to peer railroads.
• 🚂 Mr. Jensen disputed the FRA numbers, stating his company's accident records were in the middle of their peer group and that the 850% figure made no sense.
• 📈 The Senator noted that in the decade before the railroad was sold, the mainline derailment rate was double the average, highlighting the importance of safety in critical areas like East Palestine.
• 🤝 Norfolk Southern's responsibility for cleanup was affirmed, with Mr. Jensen acknowledging his company's criminal conviction and sentencing for failing to properly report a 90,000-gallon fuel spill.

Moving Forward: Safety and Responsibility

• 💡 Mr. Jensen explained that in the instance of the unreported spill, an employee did not follow procedure, and while they were cleaning it up, they failed to report it, leading to a substantial fine.
• 💰 Senator Cantwell questioned if a fine of hundreds of thousands of dollars was substantial given the impact on communities.
• 🗺️ The Senator emphasized the need for better alignment on product safety, cleanup, and responsibilities, especially in a large port and railroad state with treacherous areas requiring long response times.
• 🧑‍🚒 She advocated for aggressive evolution in information sharing, first responder involvement, community plans, and follow-up legislation for very long trains requiring specific staffing for safety.

Spectrum Use and DoD Coordination

• 📡 Senator Cantwell raised concerns about spectrum auctioning, referencing the 2000 Defense Authorization Act requiring cooperation between the Secretary of Defense, Joint Chiefs, and Secretary of Commerce.
• 🚫 She pointed out that no such certification was made by the Trump administration, leading to confusion and interference when DoD radar spectrum was auctioned.
• 🛰️ The Senator stressed the importance of testing critical issues before moving DoD spectrum and noted that mission-critical systems were turned off with no replacement provided, a situation she wants to prevent from happening again.
• 📜 Legislation was mentioned that would allow federal users to upgrade capabilities, contrasting with current funds that only allow for maintaining comparable capabilities.