Montana's transportation future should reward innovation, not hold it back | Todd O'Hair

As Congress writes the next surface transportation bill, that same philosophy deserves a place in Washington. The Senate Commerce Committee — including Montana's own Sen. Tim Sheehy — will help determine how freight rail is regulated for years to come. For Montana, those decisions matter more than they might elsewhere.

Ours is a state built on long distances. Wheat doesn't travel a few miles to market. Neither do timber products, minerals, construction materials, or energy resources. Montana businesses rely on an efficient freight rail network to reach customers across the country and around the world. Nearly 100 million tons of freight move by rail in Montana each year, supporting industries that form the backbone of our economy.

That's why the debate in Washington deserves careful attention. Some proposals advanced during the U.S. House's work on the transportation bill would impose one-size-fits-all operating mandates on freight railroads regardless of whether they are supported by evidence or improve safety. While well intentioned, policies like these risk making the rail network less efficient, increasing transportation costs, and slowing investment in the very technologies that are making rail safer today.

Montana has taken a different approach to innovation. Last year, our state adopted a framework allowing autonomous vehicles on Montana roads. Lawmakers didn't conclude that every new technology should automatically be embraced, nor did they decide every innovation should be prohibited. Instead, they recognized that new technologies deserve thoughtful oversight while allowing innovation to continue.

That same principle should guide freight rail. Today's railroads look very different than they did even a decade ago. Across the country, railroads are deploying artificial intelligence, machine vision, predictive analytics, and automated inspection systems that identify problems earlier than traditional methods and allow maintenance crews to address issues before they become incidents. These investments helped produce a record-breaking year for safety across the freight rail industry in 2025.

The question before Congress isn't whether railroads should be regulated. They already are. The real question is whether federal policy will encourage the next generation of safety technology — or make it harder to deploy.

For Montana, the answer carries real economic impact. The state's economy relies on a freight system that connects businesses to markets and customers around the world. When that network operates efficiently, it supports Montana's key industries, strengthens supply chains, and helps sustain economic growth for communities across the state.

Montana has long understood that economic growth and innovation go hand in hand. We have never been afraid to embrace new ideas when they produce better results. We set high expectations, hold industries accountable, and allow ingenuity to solve problems.

As the Senate develops its transportation bill, we hope Senator Sheehy and his colleagues bring that same Montana mindset to freight rail. By rejecting prescriptive mandates that could slow innovation and instead supporting policies that encourage investment and measurable safety improvements, Congress can strengthen one of the nation's most important freight networks while helping keep Montana businesses competitive for years to come.