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Me, doubting whether we can make #Staggers40 a thing — but being pleasantly surprised today... https://imgflip.com/i/4i0yoc ">https://imgflip.com/i/4i0yoc&...
It may seem like an abstract, 40-year-old policy (the latter is true), but #Staggers is important for a few reasons.
1) It saved the freight rail industry from collapse (quite literally, as under-investment in #infrastructure had made "standing derailments" a thing, see gif)
1) It saved the freight rail industry from collapse (quite literally, as under-investment in #infrastructure had made "standing derailments" a thing, see gif)
2) It was accomplished with broad, bipartisan support (passed the House 337-20 & Senate 91-4) — a quaint concept today — demonstrating one of the reasons, perhaps, that its legacy has been so lasting.
[Shout out to @CarterLibrary
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👋" title="Waving hand" aria-label="Emoji: Waving hand">]
[Shout out to @CarterLibrary
3) It catalyzed sweeping change—at its core a healthy, reliable freight rail network—that wasn& #39;t just good for railroads.
Since 1980:
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💰" title="Geldsack" aria-label="Emoji: Geldsack"> Shipper rates down 43% on avg (adj for inflation)
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💪" title="Angespannter Bizeps" aria-label="Emoji: Angespannter Bizeps"> Rail productivity has doubled
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🌱" title="Setzling" aria-label="Emoji: Setzling"> a train today can move a ton of freight >470 mpg
Since 1980:
4) Deserving of a separate tweet, #railsafety was also greatly improved through #StaggersAct.
The train accident rate has dropped 79% since 1980.
And RRs continue to close this gap: Since 2000 alone, train accident & hazmat accident rateshttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten"> 30% & 64%, respectively.
The train accident rate has dropped 79% since 1980.
And RRs continue to close this gap: Since 2000 alone, train accident & hazmat accident rates
30% & 64%, respectively." title="4) Deserving of a separate tweet, #railsafety was also greatly improved through #StaggersAct.The train accident rate has dropped 79% since 1980.And RRs continue to close this gap: Since 2000 alone, train accident & hazmat accident rates https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten"> 30% & 64%, respectively." class="img-responsive" style="max-width:100%;"/>
And while you may think, "that sounds great, but #freightrail doesn& #39;t really affect my life..." you may be wrong...
They also lower #greenhousegas emissions by 75% over trucks, which = cleaner air.
