To direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue certain regulations to define high-hazard flammable train, and for other purposes.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill amends Chapter 209 of Title 49 USC to require railroad carriers to report all materials toxic by inhalation to the National Response Center, state, local, and tribal officials within 24 hours of any train derailment and creates new Section 20904 establishing the specific statutory requirement for 24-hour reporting of toxic-by-inhalation materials after train derailments to federal, state, local, and tribal authorities. It relies on reporting requirements. The main policy areas are transportation, Transportation, and Environment.
Who Benefits and How
State and local emergency response agencies could face lower compliance burdens, Tribal governments near railroad corridors would be affected, and National Response Center would be affected.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Railroad companies operating trains carrying toxic-by-inhalation materials would take on compliance duties and Railroad companies operating freight trains with hazardous materials would take on compliance duties.
Key Provisions
- Amends Chapter 209 of Title 49 USC to require railroad carriers to report all materials toxic by inhalation to the National Response Center, state, local, and tribal officials within 24 hours of any train derailment...
- Creates new Section 20904 establishing the specific statutory requirement for 24-hour reporting of toxic-by-inhalation materials after train derailments to federal, state, local, and tribal authorities.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
The bill amends Chapter 209 of Title 49 USC to require railroad carriers to report all materials toxic by inhalation to the National Response Center, state, local, and tribal officials within 24 hours of any train derailment and creates new Section 20904 establishing the specific statutory requirement for 24-hour reporting of toxic-by-inhalation materials after train derailments to federal, state, local, and tribal authorities.
Key Policy Areas
transportation, Transportation, Environment
Primary Purpose
The bill amends Chapter 209 of Title 49 USC to require railroad carriers to report all materials toxic by inhalation to the National Response Center, state, local, and tribal officials within 24 hours of any train derailment and creates new Section 20904 establishing the specific statutory requirement for 24-hour reporting of toxic-by-inhalation materials after train derailments to federal, state, local, and tribal authorities.
Policy Domains
DERAIL Act - Railroad Safety Enhancements
Identified Gains
- State and local emergency response agencies
- Tribal governments near railroad corridors
- National Response Center
- Communities near railroad routes carrying hazardous materials
- Emergency response contractors and consultants
Identified Costs
- Railroad companies operating trains carrying toxic-by-inhalation materials
- Railroad companies operating freight trains with hazardous materials
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Deluzio (for himself, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Doggett, Ms. Dean …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
National Response Center, State and local emergency response agencies, Tribal governments near railroad corridors
Railroad companies operating freight trains with hazardous materials, Railroad companies operating trains carrying toxic-by-inhalation materials
Communities near railroad routes carrying hazardous materials
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Transportation
- "railroad_carrier"
- → Railroad companies operating freight trains
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A single train transporting 1 or more loaded tank cars of a Class 3 flammable liquid or a Class 2 flammable gas (expanding from previous threshold of 20+ cars)
Hazardous materials that pose inhalation hazards, requiring mandatory reporting after derailments
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology