General Information
US approves $31 billion merger of two big railroads
Story by Niraj Chokshi and Mark Walker (Source: msn.com 03/15/2023) A federal regulator Wednesday approved a Canadian freight railroad’s plan to buy a US competitor, a $31 billion deal that will make the railroad the first to operate across North America. In approving the deal, the regulator, the Surface Transportation Board, said the new single-line…
Read MoreU.S. Senate leader Schumer urges federal safety probe into all major freight railroads
By Richard Cowan and David Shepardson (Source: msn.com 03/16/2023) WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday urged a federal investigation into safety practices of all seven major freight railroads, following the East Palestine, Ohio derailment of a Norfolk Southern Corp train. In a letter, Schumer urged the National Transportation Safety Board…
Read MoreMore than 100 groups demand EPA conduct dioxin testing in areas impacted by East Palestine derailment
(Source: River Valley Organizing press release, March 13, 2023) Today, River Valley Organizing and more than 100 groups from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and across the country sent a joint letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan and other EPA leadership with expert recommendations on how to test for dioxins in East Palestine, Ohio and other…
Read MoreDOL nominee Julie Su fights for confirmation
(Source: The Guardian, March 12, 2023) Julie Su has come a long way since she first made headlines in 1995 when she, then just 26 years old, was lead lawyer for 72 Thai workers who were essentially kept in slavery, toiling 18 hours a day at a sweatshop just outside Los Angeles. Full story: The Guardian
Read MoreDisasters happen when businesses put profits above people
(Source: Iowa Capital Dispatch, March 11, 2023) Businesses, left to their own devices, will pursue their own self-interests, denying the evidence of detrimental impacts and fighting against regulations requiring pneumatic brakes or adding stronger tank cars on trains carrying hazardous chemicals. It’s why we need child labor laws and worker’s compensation insurance. The power of…
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