Policymaker Commentary
Let me be clear: While there are acts of God, this was an act of greed that was 100 percent preventable. Let me say it again: an act of greed that was 100 percent preventable. We were pushing railroads to take more precautions, to deal with braking, to deal with a whole range of things that were not dealt with. Norfolk Southern failed its responsibility. You know, multimillion-dollar railroad companies transporting toxic chemicals have responsibility to do it safely. And, again, Norfolk Southern failed.
It’s been one year since the East Palestine derailment and Norfolk Southern STILL refuses to take accountability for the pain they inflicted on an entire community.
I will never back down to greedy, incompetent corporations like Norfolk Southern. Never.
Let’s be clear: This derailment wasn’t bad luck.
It was the result of Norfolk Southern repeatedly putting their profits over the health and safety of the communities that their trains pass through.
It’s been one year since a hazardous train derailment devastated East Palestine and Darlington Township.
We need to hold big rail corporations accountable to ensure they never prioritize profits over safety and prevent another disaster.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) wrote to Norfolk Southern President Alan Shaw that very month that the railway “failed to explore all potential courses of action, including some that may have kept the rail line closed longer but could have resulted in a safer overall approach for first responders, residents and the environment.”
…contractors employed by the Norfolk Southern railway company ‘lacked the scientific background’ to decide that a vent-and-burn was necessary to head off a chemical reaction that could cause the cars to explode. [Jennifer Homendy] testified that a better option would have been to allow the tank cars time to cool down.
Today’s testimony by NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy was shocking. The implication is clear: Norfolk Southern forced an unnecessary vent and burn of toxic chemicals to clear the tracks and get their trains moving.
You are still living with the consequences of that burn, and everyone involved in this failure needs to be held accountable. And frankly, it’s a reminder that Norfolk Southern can’t be trusted.
…common sense tells us that Norfolk Southern at least has apiece of [the PA train derailment] where they need to do better.
Paul Pokrowka, the state legislative director of Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation Union...said Norfolk Southern and other rail companies have placed railway workers under crushing working conditions. By doing so, he said, they created unsafe conditions for workers and communities.
I’ve been outspoken about the serious concerns that I have with the [Norfolk Southern's] failed management of this crisis…They chose not to participate in the unified command. They gave inaccurate information and conflicting modeling data, and they refused to explore or articulate alternative courses of action when we were dealing with the derailment in the early days. In sum, Norfolk Southern injected unnecessary risk into this crisis and they created confusion in this process.
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