House Science Committee Requests DOT Update on Rail Safety Efforts
House Science Committee Requests DOT Update on Rail Safety Efforts
House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Members sent a letter to the Department of Transportation (DOT) requesting information about the research, development, and technology (RD&T) efforts being made to improve the transportation of hazardous material by rail in the aftermath of the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment.
The letter requests information into the implementation of funding from recent appropriations for continued RD&T activities, DOT’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Infrastructure (ARPA-I), and the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, Colorado. “The Committee seeks to ensure that ARPA-I is truly investing in practical solutions,” the Members wrote. “We want to ensure that the tax dollars of the American people are funding solid efforts that will provide real results and mitigate accidents like the recent derailment.” Additionally, “[t]he Committee is interested in the RD&T work being conducted at TTC, specifically as it relates to tank car development, way-side detection research, and implementation of automated track inspection technology.”
To ensure that DOT is prioritizing critical federal research dollars by investing RD&T into safe and effective transportation technologies, the Committee requested a briefing and written responses to the letter’s posed questions by June 20, 2023. The letter was signed by Science Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK), Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Research and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Mike Collins (R-GA), and Research and Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Haley Stevens (D-MI).
Read the full letter here.
The letter requests information into the implementation of funding from recent appropriations for continued RD&T activities, DOT’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Infrastructure (ARPA-I), and the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, Colorado. “The Committee seeks to ensure that ARPA-I is truly investing in practical solutions,” the Members wrote. “We want to ensure that the tax dollars of the American people are funding solid efforts that will provide real results and mitigate accidents like the recent derailment.” Additionally, “[t]he Committee is interested in the RD&T work being conducted at TTC, specifically as it relates to tank car development, way-side detection research, and implementation of automated track inspection technology.”
To ensure that DOT is prioritizing critical federal research dollars by investing RD&T into safe and effective transportation technologies, the Committee requested a briefing and written responses to the letter’s posed questions by June 20, 2023. The letter was signed by Science Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK), Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Research and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Mike Collins (R-GA), and Research and Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Haley Stevens (D-MI).
Read the full letter here.
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