Alan Shaw, president and CEO of Norfolk Southern, says the company will "enhance" its remediation plan in response to growing safety concerns by residents of East Palestine, Ohio, promising to work closely with government authorities.
In a Feb. 22 news release, Shaw said Norfolk Southern would not only excavate the soil, but would also replace the tracks in the derailment area as part of an "enhanced remediation plan." Originally, the plan had been to remove the dirt in the affected area.
"It is important to me that the members of this community have confidence in Norfolk Southern's remediation efforts and that we are working closely with local, state and federal agencies," Shaw said in the release. "An important part of this plan is to listen to the concerns of the community and that's a primary reason why we are going to enhance our plan."
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered Norfolk Southern to "conduct all necessary actions" to clean up the derailment in East Palestine, according to a Feb. 21 EPA release.
Norfolk Southern has "specific obligations to fulfill as part of the legally binding order," the EPA release continued, including identifying and cleaning up contaminated soil and water, reimbursing the EPA for cleaning services the agency and its contractors would provide to the community, attending and participating in public meetings and posting relevant information online.
Shaw and Norfolk Southern chose not to participate in a town hall event Feb. 15, citing personal safety concerns, according to a statement Norfolk Southern released to WKBN shortly before the event.
"Unfortunately, after consulting with community leaders, we have become increasingly concerned about the growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community around this event stemming from the increasing likelihood of the participation of outside parties," the company's statement said. "With that in mind, Norfolk Southern will not be in attendance this evening."
Later, the company added it had no plans to abandon the community and wanted to continue dialogue, WKBN reported. Shaw, in another release, stated, "we will not walk away, East Palestine."
Norfolk Southern said it had already excavated more than 4,800 cubic yards of soil and collected about 1.7 million gallons of liquid for disposal, according to its Feb. 22 release. The remediation process starts with soil preparation, followed by track removal along the first rail line, excavation of the soil and reconstruction of the track.
The trains will operate at slower speeds on one track while the other is being excavated, Norfolk Southern's news release said.
