U.S. Reps. Chris Deluzio, D-Pennsylvania, and Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, announced bipartisan rail safety legislation in the U.S. House aimed at studying the performance of pressure relief devices on rail tank cars during fiery derailments.
The proposal, titled the Under Pressure Act of 2026, would direct the Federal Railroad Administration to submit a report to Congress examining the rate and causes of pressure relief device failures in derailments. The report would be required to include recommendations to prevent such failures and provide a status update on any related recommendations issued by the National Transportation Safety Board that have not been adequately addressed.
Deluzio said the study bill was developed in coordination with the NTSB, rail industry groups and multiple labor unions representing rail workers. Supporters include the American Association of Railroads, Railway Supply Institute and the American Chemistry Council, as well as labor organizations including the Transportation Workers Union, the Transportation Communications Union, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, the Transportation Trades Department AFL-CIO, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.
Deluzio and Rulli represent communities in Pennsylvania and Ohio that were directly affected by the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment. Since that incident, the lawmakers have collaborated on broader rail safety efforts, including the Railway Safety Act of 2025, and convened a joint rail safety roundtable with union workers and local leaders in July 2025.
The lawmakers said the new bill is intended to inform future safety improvements and reduce the risks associated with rail transport of hazardous materials.
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