The derailment of an Ohio train carrying hazardous chemicals on February 3 in East Palestine, Ohio, which resulted in a fire and a smoke cloud over the town, was responded to, according to the Biden administration, by sending more federal resources.
The Norfolk Southern (NSC.N)-operated Ohio train derailed, forcing thousands of homes to flee as railroad workers drained and burned off chemicals. No fatalities or injuries were reported, but the locals have been asking questions about possible health dangers.
We have organized a significant, multi-agency effort to aid the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, “At a briefing, White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre said. “The federal government is devoted to seeing that the neighborhood receives everything it requires and will remain on the ground for however long is necessary.
Maria Cantwell, leader of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, announced late on Friday that she has launched an investigation into railroad hazardous materials safety procedures in response to the incident and safety issues it presents.
Cantwell noted that the Ohio train contained “20 total hazardous materials cars transporting vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, and isobutylene, of which 11 derailed” in a letter to Norfolk Southern’s CEO and the CEOs of six other freight rail operators.
The derailment of an Ohio train carrying hazardous chemicals on February 3 in East Palestine, Ohio, which resulted in a fire and a smoke cloud over the town, was responded to, according to the Biden administration, by sending more federal resources.
The Norfolk Southern (NSC.N)-operated Ohio train derailed, forcing thousands of homes to flee as railroad workers drained and burned off chemicals. No fatalities or injuries were reported, but the locals have been asking questions about possible health dangers.
A group of medical professionals and toxicologists will be sent out to undertake tests and assessments of the public’s health, the Health and Human Services Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Friday. Amit Bose, the director of the Federal Railroad Administration, will visit the location the following week, and the Environmental Protection Agency is speeding up testing.
The railroad has created a $1 million initial community support fund, according to Norfolk Southern Chief Executive Alan Shaw, and has given $1.7 million in direct financial assistance to more than 1,100 households and businesses to pay evacuation costs. He wrote in a message to the locals, “We won’t let you down.
A pollution cloud that had been traveling down the Ohio River, a source of drinking water for 5 million people, has dispersed, according to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. State testing has also revealed that no tainted water ever entered any municipal drinking systems in its course, he added.
DeWine urged Congress to review the rules governing railroad safety, criticizing the lack of authority states have to request information about the types of dangerous items passing through their borders.
In light of the hundreds of railway derailments that occur each year, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated on Thursday that more has to be done to improve rail safety. He mentioned that about 1,000 Ohio train derailments occur each year.
DeWine expressed his expectation for a thorough presidential commission or in-depth congressional hearings to look into the incident and make sure it never occurs again.
The main railroads, according to Cantwell, “have decreased their workforce by roughly one-third, decommissioned railyards where railcars are traditionally inspected and are running longer and heavier trains” over the previous five years.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, claimed on Twitter that a rule mandating electronically controlled pneumatic brakes, which was later dropped, would not have prevented the derailment because it would only have applied to trains carrying high-hazard flammable materials.
