Category: East Palestine

Conservative Groups Urge Republicans to Reject Railway Safety Bill

More than a dozen conservative organizations are encouraging members of Congress to oppose a bipartisan railway safety bill prompted by the Feb. 3rd derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio. Led by conservative advocacy group FreedomWorks, the organizations charged in a Mar. 13th letter (pdf) that the new regulations…


Railway CEO Declines to Commit to Pay for Long-Term Health Testing for Ohio Residents After Derailment

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw made an ambiguous promise Thursday to do “what’s right” for East Palestine, Ohio, residents after one of his rail company’s trains derailed there last month, releasing toxic chemicals into the environment. “We’re committed to doing what’s right for the folks of East Palestine and the community,” Shaw assured Sen. Tom…


Sen. JD Vance Urges GOP to Support Railway Safety Bill: ‘Be the Party of the Working People’

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) appealed to his Republican colleagues on March 9 to support the Railway Safety Act following the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern Railways train in East Palestine, Ohio, and the subsequent chemical spill. At a Thursday hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Vance acknowledged that there…


LIVE NOW: Norfolk Southern CEO Testifies to Senate Hearing on Train Derailment in Ohio

Norfolk Southern Corporation Chief Executive Alan Shaw testifies at 10:00 a.m. ET on March 9 to Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s hearing on the Feb. 3 Ohio train derailment in East Palestine. U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), JD Vance (R-Ohio), Bob Casey (D-Penn.), and officials from Federal and Ohio environmental protection agencies will testify…


Norfolk Southern CEO Testifies to Senate Hearing on Train Derailment in Ohio

Norfolk Southern Corporation Chief Executive Alan Shaw testifies at 10:00 a.m. ET on March 9 to Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s hearing on the Feb. 3 Ohio train derailment in East Palestine. U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), JD Vance (R-Ohio), Bob Casey (D-Penn.), and officials from Federal and Ohio environmental protection agencies will testify…


Norfolk Southern’s Second Ohio Trail Derailment Under Investigation

After another Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC) train derailed in Springfield, Ohio, over the weekend, authorities have launched an investigation. This is the third train derailment on a line owned by NSC after the toxic Feb. 3 incident in East Palestine, Ohio—one of the worst environmental disasters in recent memory. The first incident involved the deliberate…


Indiana Congressman Calls for Immediate Halt of Hazardous Shipments From Ohio Derailment

Rep. Jim Baird (R-Ind.) urged the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) on Friday to immediately halt the transportation of contaminated materials from the East Palestine train derailment to a Roachdale facility. “Last week, our state was blindsided by the announcement that the EPA would be relocating hazardous materials from the East Palestine train derailment…


Norfolk Southern CEO a No-Show at East Palestine Town Hall, Angering Residents

Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, were left visibly angered on Thursday when Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw failed to make an appearance at a town hall meeting to discuss the February derailment of a train carrying hazardous materials. Shaw, who was widely criticized for failing to show up at an earlier town meeting two weeks…


EPA Demands Norfolk Southern Test for Dioxins After Ohio Train Derailment

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on March 2 ordered freight train operator Norfolk Southern to test for dioxins after the company burned toxic pollutants last month from cargo on its derailed train in East Palestine, Ohio. The railroad company burned the hazardous materials on Feb. 6 after some of its rail cars were assessed as…


Schumer Backs Bipartisan Railway Safety Bill Triggered by Toxic Ohio Derailment

A bipartisan railway safety bill prompted by a recent train derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio, has garnered the support of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Introduced by Sens. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and co-sponsored by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), and Josh Hawley…