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In East Palestine, Ohio, a train carrying vinyl chloride and other
chemicals derailed Feb. 3. As a result, residents of the eastern
Ohio township are now complaining of contaminated water and air.
Former Illinois state lawmaker and now president of the Illinois
Railroad Association Tim Butler said Illinois is taking steps to
prevent these incidents.
"Rail safety is at the top of the list that gets discussed every
single day with these companies," Butler told WMAY. "It's in the DNA
of these companies, safety for their employees, safety for the
communities, for the citizens they serve. It is at the top of the
list."
The incident in Ohio involved a trailer carrying a highly toxic
chemical. Butler said they are required to carry those chemicals and
believes, despite the incident, railroads are safer than carrying
such materials on roadways where there are other variables that
could cause wrecks.
"The industry is almost required to carry those things when another
business reaches out to us and wants us to transport it," Butler
said. "On top of that, rail transport is tremendously safe."
Buter said the industry uses billions in private dollars for
upgrades, but the state has also emphasized safety through
investments.
"The more we can do to create grade separations helps with safety
but also helps with people getting around town easier," Butler said.
"We make a lot of investments into safety and that's really
important. That's why its nice to see the state step up through the
capital plan to invest in this. Its good for the industry and good
for the people of Illinois to create safer rails."
Illinois is the only state with all seven Class I railroads,
something Butler said shows how significant Illinois is for the
nation's supply chain.
Andrew Hensel reports on issues in Chicago and
Statewide. He has been with The Center Square News since April
of 2021 and was previously with The Joliet Slammers.
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