Alan Shaw, the CEO of Norfolk Southern, insists the company is continuing their commitment to help East Palestine recover and that Norfolk Southern is now on the forefront of improving safety in the rail industry. And the residents there - they're still in limbo. The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the derailment in East Palestine, and cleanup efforts are still ongoing. I'm Scott Detrow.ĭETROW: It's CONSIDER THIS FROM NPR. They're responsible for this tragedy.ĭETROW: CONSIDER THIS - toxic derailments like the one that devastated East Palestine are not new, but will the railroads' profits come at the expense of safety?ĭETROW: It's CONSIDER THIS FROM NPR. It was their train, their tracks, their accident. MIKE DEWINE: Members of the committee, Norfolk Southern has an obligation to restore this community. And back at that March hearing, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said life in East Palestine stopped being normal. It's that simple.ĭETROW: Vance proposed stricter safety regulations - among them, mandating two-person crews on freight trains. But I guarantee you, whether it's tomorrow or next week or next year, there will be another East Palestine in this country if we do not pass the Railway Safety Act. We cannot undo the psychological, economic and physical toll of the derailment in East Palestine. J D VANCE: But what happened in East Palestine cannot be undone. Here's the co-sponsor of the bill, Republican Senator J.D. SHAW: Senator, we're a data-driven organization, and I'm not aware of any data that links crew size with safety.ĭETROW: The Railway Safety Act of 2023 proposed stricter safety regulations, including mandating two-person crews on freight trains. Shaw didn't answer.ĪLAN SHAW: Senator, we'll commit to using research and technology to ensure the railroad operates safely.ĮD MARKEY: Will you commit to a two-person crew on all trains? In March, Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts asked Shaw whether he would support legislation requiring two-person train crews at minimum. Not long after the derailment, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw found himself in front of Congress, being grilled by a group of bipartisan lawmakers. The crash became a national flashpoint and a hot-button issue on both sides of the aisle. Days later, the evacuation order was lifted, and some residents say they developed rashes and nausea. Residents within a mile radius of the crash were evacuated. A number of the cars were carrying hazardous materials and, in an attempt to avoid a possible explosion, there was a controlled, dayslong burn of those chemicals. It's been about five months since a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals crashed in East Palestine, a town right on the edge of the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, a little south of Youngstown.
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