COLUMBUS, Ohio — Nearly a month after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, federal and state lawmakers are looking to prevent future railroad catastrophes.
Ohio legislators began to dissect the derailment on Wednesday in their first hearing on the disaster, as U.S. senators introduced a bipartisan bill that would require railroads, including Norfolk Southern, to follow new safety rules.
A Norfolk Southern train went off the tracks in northeastern Ohio on Feb. 3 after a wheel bearing overheated, spilling toxic chemicals into the air, water, and soil, according to preliminary findings from the National Transportation Safety Board. Residents evacuated their homes as the company executed a controlled release of vinyl chloride to prevent an explosion.
Now, people are back home and worried about long-term health consequences, even as officials say the air and municipal water are safe.
The derailment has sparked national criticism of railway safety and heightened attention to other derailments since, including another Norfolk Southern train that derailed in Michigan on Feb. 16 of mostly empty cars, and a derailment in Florida this week that left a tanker carrying propane turned over and tracks mangled. No leaks were detected, officials said.
USA TODAY-IPSOS POLL:Most Americans say tougher regulation could have averted Ohio train derailment
State lawmakers question EPA officials on disaster
Ohio senators questioned officials with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday about efforts to clean up the village and test air, water, and soil. State and federal agencies are conducting weekly tests on the municipal water system and continue to clean up creeks in East Palestine that were heavily contaminated.
They’ve also excavated dirty soil near the derailment and moved it off-site. Ohio EPA director Anne Vogel said the next step is for Norfolk Southern to take up the tracks and get rid of contaminated soil underneath.
“This is not an easy fix, and Americans love easy fixes,” Ohio state Sen. Michael Rulli, R-Salem, said. “That is not going to happen here. We need years of monitoring the soil and testing. We need to build a foundation for the beautiful city of East Palestine, and we need to make ourselves whole again.”
The committee also heard from the Ohio Department of Public Safety about the emergency response to the derailment.
Railroads are largely regulated by federal law, so the state is limited in what it can accomplish. But Senate President Matt Huffman previously said the committee could look at issues such as tort law, which deals with civil suits and the relief someone can seek for being wronged.
Huffman also said lawmakers may add one-time money to the upcoming state budget to help people in and around East Palestine.
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US senators introduce new bill
On the federal side, U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance introduced a bipartisan bill Wednesday that aims to prevent train derailments and address issues that have cropped up in the NTSB’s investigation.
The proposal also came after Gov. Mike DeWine asked Congress to examine how trains are classified when transporting dangerous chemicals through states. The Norfolk Southern train was not considered a high-hazard flammable train, meaning the company did not need to notify state regulators about its passage.
“We owe every American the peace of mind that their community is protected from a catastrophe of this kind,” Vance said in a statement.
What would the bill do to prevent derailments?
The federal bill would:
- Require trains carrying hazardous materials to give advance notice to states, even if they aren’t high-hazardous flammable trains.
- Require trains with these materials on board to be scanned by hot-bearing detectors every 10 miles.
- Require two-person crews, update inspection rules, and ensure they’re conducted by qualified rail car inspectors.
- Increase the maximum fine for railroads that break the rules to 1% of their annual operating income, instead of $225,000.
- Increases HAZMAT registration fees paid by railroads to fund grants for emergency response training.
Separately, Brown said he’s talked to the White House about how to support East Palestine residents if Norfolk Southern doesn’t make good on its promises. The Washington Post reported that White House officials are weighing what, if any, economic aid they could provide to the community.
“I want Norfolk Southern to pay quickly, but if they don’t, we’ve got to find another way to help them,” Brown told reporters Wednesday.
In the U.S. House, Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, and other members of the Ohio delegation introduced legislation that would ensure residents and businesses don’t have to pay taxes on any disaster relief payments they receive.
Railroad CEO to testify in Congress
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw agreed to appear before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works next Thursday, where he is likely to face tough questions about whether the railroad has been investing enough in safety as it slashed jobs and streamlined operations in recent years to rely on fewer, longer trains.
Shaw has said the railroad is committed to helping the town recover from this derailment but has said that major safety reforms should wait until after the NTSB investigation is complete, which might take more than a year.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
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