A Train Safety Bill proposed after a toxic train crash in Ohio is quietly killed. What happened? Follow the money.
"The railroad legislation, introduced in the immediate aftermath of the East Palestine disaster, was once seen as the first real shot at imposing new regulations on the railroad industry in years... now, on the six-month anniversary of the toxic accident, even what’s left of the watered-down bill doesn’t appear to have the Republican votes necessary to pass in the Senate.Occidental Petroleum manufactured the toxic chemicals that were released and incinerated in the wake of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment gave $2 million to the primary Senate GOP super PAC..." - The Lever
Follow the money with this relationship map to see how dark money donations to Republicans trump any public safety concerns.
Follow the money
Money trumps public safety
"The American Chemistry Council, a chemical industry lobbying group of which Occidental is a member, pushed for the changes. In June, the American Chemistry Council donated $250,000 to the Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC that backs GOP House candidates.
Occidental donated $2 million in June to the Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC for Senate Republicans, three weeks after the railroad bill was weakened in committee. The Senate Leadership Fund spent $32 million to help elect Vance last fall. During the 2022 election cycle, Occidental funneled $5.5 million to the committee, making it the super PAC’s largest corporate donor.
A lobbying group for Occidental and other oil and chemical producers, which see nearly one million tons of their products transported across the country by trains each year, pushed back against the deadline for new, safer tank cars because it said the cost of doing so “would pose significant burdens” on manufacturers, shippers, and consumers." - The Lever
Dark money (not Uma Thurman) kills bill
TakeAway: Stop MAGA Republicans putting their dark money donors before your safety. Vote for a Democrat.
Deepak
DemLabs
Image credit: 'Kill Bill' starring Uma Thurman by Quentin Tarantino
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