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Following last year’s train derailment in East Palestine, out-of-touch extremist Kevin Coughlin is coming under fire for accepting thousands of dollars in campaign donations from anti-rail safety lobbyists.
According to Heartland Signal, Coughlin’s campaign accepted $9,750 from lobbyists fighting against environmental protection and railway safety regulations on behalf of chemical company Westlake Corporation, “the biggest air polluter of vinyl chloride in the U.S.”
A career lobbyist, Coughlin is no stranger to fighting against programs that everyday Ohioans rely on – and if elected, he’s already committed to defunding critical federal programs like Social Security and Medicare.
DCCC Spokesperson Aidan Johnson:
“It’s no surprise that after a career fighting on behalf of corporate interests, Kevin Coughlin is cashing in from corporate interests. Northeast Ohio deserves a representative who will continue to work for them, not a self-serving politician like Coughlin.”
Heartland Signal: Kevin Coughlin’s campaign taking thousands from lobbyists trying to halt railroad safety, environmental regulations
Austin Linfante and Richard Eberwein | May 15, 2024
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Ohio Republican congressional candidate Kevin Coughlin has taken $9,750 from lobbyists this cycle, including from entities actively trying to prevent new railroad safety and environmental regulations in wake of last year’s train derailment in East Palestine.
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According to receipts from the Federal Election Commission’s website, Coughlin’s campaign has received $1,000 from lobbyist Bob Babbage. Babbage is the founder of the lobbying firm Babbage Cofounder, which was hired by the chemical company Westlake Corporation last year. According to federal lobbying disclosure forms published by OpenSecrets and ProPublica, the Westlake Corporation hired Babbage to lobby Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on “issues related to federal export policy on LNG and TVA policy decisions” and “issues related to federal EPA superfund decisions,” the latter of which handles toxic waste cleanup. The EPA issued that the East Palestine derailment’s cleanup and removal work be done under a superfund.
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In addition to being one of the five main producers of vinyl chloride, a carcinogenic substance used to create PVC pipes, Westlake reportedly released 185,807 pounds of the toxic pollution into the air in 2021 alone, making it the biggest air polluter of vinyl chloride in the U.S. According to the White House, vinyl chloride was one of the primary chemicals exposed to the public during the East Palestine train derailment. Vinyl chloride, along with most other hazardous chemicals, are usually transported via rail, as the U.S. Department of Transportation calls it “the safest land-based method of moving large quantities of chemicals over long distances.”
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Coughlin himself began working as a lobbyist after serving in the Ohio state legislature from 1997-2010. In addition to receiving money from railroad lobbyists, Coughlin accepted an endorsement from Americans for Prosperity (AFP). The AFP is an organization with ties to the Koch network, which has also heavily lobbied against new railroad regulations.
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Coughlin’s bid for Ohio’s 13th Congressional District marks his first time seeking office since 2010, and he will face incumbent Rep. Emilia Sykes (D) in November. In March 2023, Sykes co-sponsored the Reducing Accidents in Locomotives (RAIL) Act alongside Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH). The bill seeks to improve railway safety operations to help avoid future derailments, but several GOP representatives from Ohio like Warren Davidson, Brad Wenstrup and Jim Jordan did not back the bill. Jordan also endorsed Coughlin in his race against Sykes.
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Coughlin’s campaign did not immediately respond for comment on whether he would vote for the RAIL Act or other railroad safety measures should he be elected to serve in Congress.
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