Congressman Finstad Visits Harsco Rail Engineering Center
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Congressman Finstad visits Harsco Rail facility in Fairmont, Minnesota.
Courtesy of Fairmont Sentinel
FAIRMONT, Minn. – Congressman Brad Finstad visited Harsco Rail and spoke with VP David Dunlap about rail safety and maintenance.
Last Thursday, Congressman Brad Finstad visited Harsco Rail’s Engineering Center in Fairmont, according to the Fairmont Sentinel. Congressman Finstad shared that his family comes from a farm background and recognized the rail industry in the area, specifically that there were “a lot of rail miles.” In response, Vice President of Harsco’s parent company, Global Government Relations at Enviri, David Dunlap echoed Finstad’s sentiments and said that “there’s a lot of stuff that happens behind the scenes.”
Congressman Finstad learned that the Fairmont location opened in the early part of the 20th century as Fairmont Railway Motors. Currently, it houses around 40 employees with another 10 to 20 employees in the future once “there’s more demand for product,” according to Director of Harsco Rail in Fairmont, Bo Phillips.
The topic of safety was brought up, particularly the derailment in Ohio. VP Dunlap stated its focus on it and the “Rail Safety Act . . . that’s something we’re very interested in because it’s very focused on, in this case the East Liverpool train derailed because of an over-heated bearing, the wheel fell off.” In addition to the Rail Safety Act, Congressman Finstad reiterated the importance of safety and mentioned that the act itself “only focuses on certain aspects of safety and [that] he would like to see it broaden up and focus more on the need to maintain the rails.” VP Dunlap told Congressman Finstad that he wanted the congressman aware of it in case “it shows up in the House.”
Regarding the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Finstad explained that he tried to approach the matter with “common sense . . . of what’s reality in regards to what we need done, how are we going to pay for it and are we going to put so many loops in that we’re our own enemy in some of these things.” He said he understood the tricky nature of balancing safety and regulation and wanting to avoid spending money on permits “before it goes to asphalt, rail or concrete.” According to the Fairmont Sentinel, Transportation committee member and Representative Bjorn Olson, who was also there, stated that it hasn’t received funds from IIJA yet, “but that they’ve allocated almost $300 million for when that money is released.”
Congressman Finstad also visited American Legion, CHS, and 3M along with Harsco Rail, and he brought the conversation back to the importance of rail infrastructure and safety. Olson appreciated the focus on rail safety in their conversations and maintained the need to focus on maintenance instead of “more rail,” because unfortunately, there are “20 to 30 roadway workers killed a year, not counting the at-grade crossing accidents or trespassers.”
