Norfolk Southern CEO Says Safety Standards ‘Were Not Enough’ As Senate Grills Him On Ohio Derailment

Topline

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw said Thursday he was “deeply sorry” for the impact of the derailment of a train carrying toxic materials last month in East Palestine, Ohio, and conceded the train’s safety standards weren’t adequate, in his first public appearance before the Senate as the company faces scrutiny and lawmakers consider tighter rail industry rules.

Alan Shaw, President and CEO of Norfolk Southern told Senators he is “deeply sorry” for the … [+] derailment of a train last month in East Palestine, Ohio.

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Key Facts

Shaw told members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee the rail line will clean the site “safely, thoroughly and with urgency.”

Shaw also admitted at the hearing, “it is clear the safety mechanisms in place were not enough,” citing a federal report that found the train’s three-person crew was alerted to an overheated wheel bearing just before 38 of its cars derailed—a finding that raised questions about railway safety standards.

Lawmakers took aim at the company: In a written statement, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.)—who is in a Washington, D.C.-area hospital—said his “hope is that we answer this disaster caused by egregious negligence of Norfolk Southern with real policy solutions that will hold Norfolk Southern and other similar companies accountable.”

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) also argued the public “deserved much more transparency” from the Environmental Protection Agency following the spill of materials into the air and water, asking, “why did it take EPA administrator weeks to drink water he told residents was safe?”—EPA Regional Administrator Debra Shore responded the agency was on the ground within hours of the derailment and has conducted tests, including “robust air quality testing.”

Crucial Quote

“I’ve been [to East Palestine] in person, I’ve looked into [residents’] eyes, I’ve heard their concerns, I’ve been in their family rooms—I’m committed to that community and so is Norfolk Southern,” Shaw said.

Chief Critic

“If Norfolk Southern had paid a little more attention to safety and a little less attention to its profits, and cared a little more about the Ohioans along its tracks and a little less about its executives and shareholders, these accidents wouldn’t have been as bad or maybe wouldn’t have happened at all,” Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said Thursday.

Contra

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have harshly criticized Norfolk Southern in the wake of the derailment in East Palestine. Republicans have also grilled the Biden Administration, and in particular Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, for waiting three weeks to visit the derailment site, where photos and videos showed sheens of toxic material in local creeks. Buttigieg, in response, admitted he could have visited sooner, but argued three weeks was the norm. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, blamed former President Donald Trump for blocking railway safety regulations, including an Obama-era proposal that would have required advanced brakes on trains with hazardous materials—though some of those regulations would not have applied to the Norfolk Southern train that derailed, according to a Washington Post report.

Key Background

The Norfolk Southern train was carrying toxic materials, including vinyl chloride, when it derailed in the town of East Palestine on February 3, sparking outrage from residents and from congressional leaders from both parties about the release of toxic chemicals into the air and groundwater. A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board found the crew of the Norfolk Southern train had been alerted to an overheated wheel bearing before an alarm rang out for them to slow down the train. According to the report, the train was traveling slightly below the 50 mph speed limit at the time it derailed, and there were three crew members on board, including a trainee. On Tuesday, the rail line announced plans to implement a new six-point safety plan based on the findings in the report. That plan includes steps to increase railway examinations, install hot wheel bearing detectors and accelerate its inspection program.

Tangent

Earlier this week, a Norfolk Southern conductor was killed when a dump truck collided with the front of a train at a steelmaking plant in Cleveland, prompting a federal investigation. It was the third incident involving a Norfolk Southern train in just over a month, following another derailment last week in Springfield, Ohio, northeast of Dayton, in which 20 train cars fell off the tracks, though that derailment did not cause any injuries and there were no toxic materials onboard.