The CEO of the embattled Norfolk Southern railroad company recently testified before U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and apologized for the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
According to a press release, on March 9, Alan Shaw testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, regarding the derailment in East Palestine. In his opening statement, he said, "I am deeply sorry for the impact this derailment has had on the people of East Palestine, Ohio, and surrounding communities, and I am determined to make it right."
During his testimony, he provided an update on the cleanup efforts following an accident, stating the railroad is making progress and working under the guidance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Administration. He vowed to be transparent and share water, air, and soil testing results there.
Chairman Tom Carper of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
| Senator Tom Carper/Facebook
At the beginning of the hearing, Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works said, "My hope is that in the aftermath of the disaster in East Palestine, we can come together once again to identify solutions that will protect communities, improve safety and restore trust."
Shaw acknowledged the importance of financial assistance and again noted that Norfolk Southern has committed more than $20 million to reimbursements and investments, focusing on supporting first responders and the East Palestine community. He also expressed a commitment to investing in the community's long-term needs and working to make railroads safer.
According to Shaw, the East Palestine Fire Department is receiving more than $3 million in reimbursements and support for the equipment used during the derailment response. A $1 million fund is immediately available to community leaders to determine the most effective ways to use donations. An additional $1 million fund will address the community's immediate needs, managed by a Norfolk Southern craft railroader from East Palestine, who serves as a community liaison and reports directly to the company.
The East Palestine City School District has received $300,000 to support its academic, athletic, extracurricular and long-term contingency planning. In addition, Norfolk Southern has funded and coordinated cleaning and air monitoring services for the East Palestine elementary and high schools. The East Palestine Youth Sports Association has also received $65,000 to provide free sports league participation for children for the year.
Shaw said the following safety measures would be taken to improve safety, including strengthening the hot bearing detector network, testing new hot bearing detectors, installing additional acoustic bearing detectors, speeding up the implementation of the digital train inspection program, and collaborating with other companies in the industry to examine available data for possible safety concerns.
He said Norfolk Southern will team up with other railroads to assess effective safety protocols, such as how to respond to high-temperature alerts.
On March 1, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) introduced the bipartisan "Railway Safety Act of 2023."
The proposed legislation aims to enhance safety measures for railroad operations by taking several necessary actions, including improving safety protocols for trains transporting hazardous materials, mandating the use of wayside defect detectors, instituting a permanent rule requiring railroads to have at least two crew members, raising penalties for misconduct by rail carriers and other measures to bolster safety.
