—Yesterday, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Dina Titus (D-NV) wrote to Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Administrator David Fink to express concern about Class I railroads’ lack of transparency in following the FRA’s reporting requirements that were implemented as a condition of the agency waiving visual track inspection safety requirements for… Continue Reading
The House of Representatives today overwhelmingly approved H.R. 9497 approved H.R. 9497, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026, a bipartisan bill that addresses improvements for the nation’s ports and harbors, inland waterway navigation system, flood and storm risk management, environment, and other aspects of our water resources infrastructure. Communities nationwide and the U.S. economy rely on WRDA-authorized investments in water resources infrastructure and projects of the Unit… Continue Reading
— The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Salud Carbajal (D-CA) during today’s Subcommittee hearing titled “Always Ready: A Day in the Life of a United States Coast Guard Member.”Video of Ranking Members Larsen’s and Carbajal’s opening statements can be found here and here.More information on the … Continue Reading
June 26, 2025
Hurricane season is here, and according to government forecasts it’s shaping up to be brutal. And then comes wildfire season, which is growing more destructive in the West. The U.S. just faced the worst tornado season in more than a decade. You wouldn’t know it by the Trump administration’s approach to disaster preparation. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is in disarray, and President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kirsti Noem want to dismantle the disaster response agency altog… Continue Reading
February 05, 2024One year ago, a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, displacing a community, jeopardizing health, harming the local environment and exposing gaps in our rail safety laws. The derailment and subsequent fire of tanker cars carrying vinyl chloride led Norfolk Southern to release and burn these toxic chemicals to prevent a dangerous explosion. As a result, the town was forced to evacuate all residents within a one-mile radius, upending thousands of lives. Thanks to the … Continue Reading
February 03, 2022By Chairs DeFazio and Larsen The rollout of our country's 5G wireless network has been marked by delays, dysfunction and denial. It didn't have to be this way! In 2019, aviation stakeholders, policymakers like us and safety advocates loudly warned it would be a grave mistake to turn on 5G without first ensuring that interference from these powerful networks wouldn't adversely impact aviation safety. Unfortunately, the Federal Communications Commission ignored and even mocked these concern… Continue Reading