WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The chair of the committee that will question Norfolk Southern Chief Executive Alan Shaw Thursday said Congress must pass reforms to strengthen rail safety regulations after a Feb. 3 derailment in Ohio.
“It’s our responsibility in Congress to answer: What went wrong? What do we need to do to fix it? What can we do to make sure it does not happen again?” Senate Environment and Public Works committee chair Tom Carper said in opening the hearing, adding Congress must work “to strengthen our nation’s rail safety regulations, ensure compliance with them and prevent future incidents like this one from happening.”
At the hearing Shaw will apologize and pledge to improve safety and address impacts, according to written testimony first reported by Reuters.
“I am deeply sorry for the impact this derailment has had on the people of East Palestine and surrounding communities,” Shaw will say.
Norfolk Southern has been under fire after a number of derailments of its trains, particularly one it operated in East Palestine, Ohio, that caused cars carrying toxic vinyl chloride and other hazardous chemicals to spill and catch fire.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) both announced new safety probes of the railroad Tuesday after the death of a conductor in Cleveland, Ohio, when a train was struck by a dump truck.
The NTSB said given the number and significance of recent Norfolk Southern accidents it was opening a special investigation and “urges the company to take immediate action today to review and assess its safety practices.”
Following the East Palestine derailment, some of the town’s 4,700 residents have reported ailments such as rashes and breathing difficulties and fear long-term health effects. No deaths or injuries were reported after the accident.
Shaw pledged to “clean the site safely, thoroughly, and with urgency.”
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
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