NORFOLK SOUTHERN SPENT $1.9 MILLION IN WASHINGTON AS CONGRESS WEAKENED RAIL SAFETY BILL – By Prem Thakker (The Intercept) / Aug 18, 2023
In the six months since the East Palestine derailment, the railway giant has activated its lobbyists and spread money around Congress.
AFTER LAYING LOW in the wake of the disastrous East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, Norfolk Southern is back to spending millions in Congress — and a paper trail indicates that it’s lobbying for weaker regulation and rewarding members of Congress who play along.
From the day of the derailment on February 3 through the end of April, the company made no political contributions, instead receiving refunds of donations it had made to a number of campaigns. But as the national spotlight dimmed, the company got back to work.
In the last four months, Norfolk spent $1,657,500 on lobbyists who met with the same elected officials tasked with regulating the company. And in June and July alone, the company shelled out almost $200,000 to a myriad of congressional campaigns and political action committees, or PACs, according to its recent filings with the Federal Election Commission, including one from this week.
As Norfolk went on a spending spree, the Bipartisan Railway Safety Act stalled in the Senate, due to a lack of sufficient Republican support. The legislation was introduced after the derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals in East Palestine, killing animals and leaving residents with an array of ongoing symptoms, including rashes, stomach pain, and respiratory complications. Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has reportedly prioritized the bill for the fall.
CONTINUE > https://theintercept.com/2023/08/18/norfolk-southern-rail-safety-lobby-congress/
