US Senate holds hearing on Ohio train derailment amid toxic chemicals fears – live

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The Environmental Protection Agency has “not detected any volatile organic compounds above levels of health concerns” since the derailment fire was extinguished on February 8, the agency’s regional administrator Debra Shore in her testimony on Thursday.

Shore added that the EPA is currently conducting 24/7 air monitoring and a voluntary program set up by the agency has seen approximately 600 homes screened for toxic chemicals including vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride – no detections of the chemicals have been identified.

Shore also said that if Norfolk Southern fails to complete any of the EPA-ordered actions including ensuring its cleanup is done to EPA specifications, then the EPA will “immediately step in to conduct the necessary work and then force Norfolk Southern to pay triple the cost.”

Norfolk Southern CEO: "It is clear the safety mechanisms in place were not enough"

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has acknowledged the safety deficits that led to the disastrous derailment, saying, “It is clear the safety mechanisms in place were not enough.”

Shaw added that the company has launched a series of initiatives to ensure industry-wide safety improvements and better training measures for its employees.

He also said that the company is currently developing and implementing near and longer-term cleanup activities.

“We will be in the community for as long as it takes,” he added, promising that there are “no strings attached to our assistance,” which Ohio Democratic senator Sherrod Brown has previously warned residents about.

During his testimony, Ohio Republican JD Vance called on the Environmental Protection Agency to swiftly and safely remove the “toxic dirt” that has been filled with chemicals since the derailment.

In his address, Vance said:

“I am happy to report that it appears that Norfolk Southern has finally started to do the cleanup ... but now the EPA is making it harder to get the materials out of Ohio in the first place …”

“There are piles of dirt accumulating in east Palestine…filed with toxic chemicals that haven’t been moved out of the state in a week. What happens if it rains? What happens if the very toxic dirt that we just dug out of the ground begins to seep back into the ground, causing more problems for the air and water?…”

“We need leadership. We need the EPA to get on the ground and aggressively get this stuff out of Palestine into properly licensed facilities. It’s maybe the most important and pressing thing…”

Ohio senator Sherrod Brown criticizes Norfolk Southern for prioritizing profit over safety

Ohio Democratic senator Sherrod Brown who testified at the hearing has issued harsh criticism against Norfolk Southern.

“If Norfolk Southern had paid a little more attention to safety and a little less attention to its profits, if it cared a little more about the Ohioans along its tracks and a little less about its executives and shareholders, these accidents would not have been as bad or maybe not happened at all,” he said.

Brown added that Ohioans have told him that Norfolk Southern must pay for “every cent of the cleanup … every water test, every hotel room, every bottle of water, every hospital bill …”

He also said that Ohioans told him that they want assurances that “this will not happen again” and added that “they have every right to be scared.”

The House energy and commerce committee chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and environment, manufacturing, and critical materials subcommittee Chair Bill Johnson (R-OH) have announced a hearing on the East Palestine train derailment.

In a statement on Thursday, Rodgers and Johnson said that the subcommittee will address the environmental response to the disaster. Witnesses will include officials from the Environmental Protection Administration and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

“The February train derailment has upended the lives of those living in East Palestine and the surrounding region. We will be hearing from federal, state, and local officials regarding their efforts to date and the actions they are taking to address the various environmental hazards,” the statement read.

“The communities that have been hurt deserve full transparency. The residents of these communities must be able to trust that their air, water, and soil is not a threat to their health,” it added.

The hearing is scheduled for March 28.

East Palestine organizers from River Valley Organizing, an Ohio River Valley-based community activism organization, are currently on Capitol Hill to demand justice for residents affected by the derailment.

The organization said that no local residents were invited to testify, despite a community of approximately 5,000 people in East Palestine being affected by the chemical leaks.

Norfolk Southern's CEO to appear at Senate's first hearing of East Palestine train derailment

Norfolk Southern’s CEO Alan Shaw will testify today at the Senate’s first hearing on last month’s train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio which led to disastrous toxic chemical leaks into the environment.

Shaw will face tough questioning from Democrats and Republicans alike who will probably demand answers to how exactly the crash unfolded and what security measures are needed to prevent another disaster.

Norfolk Southern has so far pledged over $21m to assist communities that have been affected by the fiery crash. Nevertheless, critics argue that it is not enough, given that the company announced $10bn in stock buybacks earlier this year and reported $3.2bn in profits last year.

In addition to Shaw, other witnesses at today’s hearing will include Ohio Democratic senator Sherrod Brown, who previously warned residents to be cautious when accepting checks from Norfolk Southern, saying, “You can accept the check, but don’t sign anything that would sign away your legal rights. That’s what companies like this do.”

The crash has triggered public outrage as residents and lawmakers demand answers from Norfolk Southern regarding its safety deficits.

On Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board said that it will launch a special investigation into the company’s railway safety culture.

Senate to hold it first hearing of the East Palestine train derailment

Good morning, US politics readers. The Senate’s environment and public works committee will hold its first hearing at 10am ET on the Norfolk Southern train derailment that occurred in East Palestine, Ohio, last month.

Norfolk Southern’s CEO, Alan Shaw, is expected to testify about the derailment which released toxic chemicals into the East Palestine community, triggering a slew of health issues and public outrage from residents.

On Wednesday, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said he expected “Mr Shaw to lay out precisely what steps Norfolk Southern is taking to prevent future disasters like East Palestine”, CNN reports.

Other witnesses expected to appear at the hearing today include Ohio Democratic senator Sherrod Brown, Republican senator JD Vance, and Pennsylvania Democratic senator Bob Casey.

The hearing follows federal investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board announcing on Tuesday that they will launch an investigation into Norfolk Southern’s railway safety culture.

Here is what else to expect today:

• President Joe Bien will deliver remarks on his fiscal year 2024 budget this afternoon.

Stat tuned as we bring you the latest updates.