WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Norfolk Southern Chief Executive Alan Shaw has agreed to testify on the Ohio train derailment before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on March 9, the company said on Wednesday.
The Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern-operated train in Ohio caused a fire and sent a cloud of smoke over the town, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate while railroad crews drained and burned off toxic chemicals. It has prompted calls in Congress to pass new railroad safety legislation.
No fatalities or injuries have been reported, but residents have demanded answers about potential health risks.
Norfolk Southern said they were engaging with Congress and other committees about requests to testify while balancing remediation commitments. They also expect other industry groups will participate at future hearings.
Other committees in Congress are investigating the derailment.
“The rail industry needs to learn as much as it can from East Palestine, as can the owners of the rail cars,” said the company.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has pressed railroads to take voluntary steps to improve rail safety as he pursues new regulations.
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) head Amit Bose is holding a briefing in East Palestine on Wednesday on safety efforts after the agency on Tuesday issued a safety advisory urging carriers to evaluate the use and maintenance of a key technology used to help avoid derailments.
On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of senators led by Ohio’s Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance will introduce legislation to prevent future train disasters.
The bill would require enhanced safety procedures for trains carrying hazardous materials, as well as require wayside defect detectors, a minimum of two-person crews and increased fines for wrongdoing.
Buttigieg wants Congress to make it easier to impose new train safety regulations and increase fines for violating safety regulations from the current maximum $225,455 at least ten-fold.
(Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Louise Heavens, Chizu Nomiyama and Josie Kao)
Comments