Global Courant
The National Transportation Safety Board will begin taking affidavits Thursday as part of its investigation into the derailment of a toxic train in eastern Palestine, Ohio.
The agency is holding an investigative hearing Thursday and Friday in eastern Palestine, where a Norfolk Southern Railway train carrying toxic chemicals derailed on Feb. 3, releasing hazardous materials into the air, soil and creeks in the area.
Parts of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed the night before in East Palestine, Ohio, February 4, 2023.
Gene J. Puskar/AP, DOSSIER
a preliminary NTSB report released in the weeks following the incident found that a wheel bearing failed shortly before 38 cars derailed in the incident – including 11 hazardous material tankers which subsequently ignited.
Five of the tankers contain 115,580 liters of vinyl chloride, a highly volatile colorless gas produced for commercial use. Rescuers then performed hours of controlled release and combustion of the vinyl chloride, creating a large fireball and sending a plume of black smoke filled with contaminants into the air.
The two-day hearing, described as a “fact-finding step” in the NTSB safety investigation, is expected to focus on emergency response communications and preparedness, which led to the decision to vent the vinyl chloride tank cars and to set on fire. , and among other things, the failure modes for freight wagon bearings and roadside detection systems.
Witnesses, who will testify under oath, include representatives from Norfolk Southern, the Federal Railroad Administration, the Ohio National Guard, and several local fire and police departments, the NTSB said. A detailed list of witnesses will be made available at the beginning of the hearing.
Those who may ask witness questions include NTSB board members and investigative personnel and designated parties, including the Norfolk Southern Corporation, Federal Railroad Administration, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and Village of East Palestine.
The site of the derailment of a hazardous waste train in East Palestine, Ohio, February 23, 2023.
Alan Freed/Reuters, FILE
The NTSB will use the information gathered at the hearing to “complete the investigation, determine the probable cause and make recommendations to improve transportation safety,” the agency said. The full investigation could take up to 18 months from the date of the accident to complete, it said.
“The communities most affected by this tragedy deserve as much insight into our investigation as possible, which is why we are holding an investigative hearing in Eastern Palestine,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said in a statement. “While unfortunately we can’t change what happened that day, our entire agency is committed to carrying out our mission, which doesn’t end when we get to the bottom of what happened and why it happened – we will also work vigorously to prevent it will never happen again.”
The hearing is scheduled for Thursday from 9am to 7pm ET and Friday from 9am to 6pm ET. at East Palestine High School and will be streamed live the NTSB’s YouTube channel.
Homendy had previously called the derailment “100% preventable”.
“We call things ‘accidents.’ There is no accident. Every event we investigate is preventable,” she said in the February release of the NTSB’s preliminary report.
There were no fatalities or injuries in the derailment.
First responders implemented a 1-mile evacuation zone around the derailment site, impacting up to 2,000 residents. The mandatory evacuation order was lifted on Feb. 8 after air and water samples taken the day before were deemed safe, officials said.
Health and safety concerns have lingered in the aftermath of the incident, and several residents have filed a class action lawsuit against Norfolk Southern, seeking damages and a fund for medical monitoring and testing, among other things.
Ohio EPA and EPA contractors collect soil and air samples from the March 9, 2023 derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio.
Michael Swensen/Getty Images, FILE
Ohio also filed a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern in March, alleging that the railroad company violated several federal and state environmental laws and the Ohio Common Law, thereby “recklessly endangering” the health of Ohio’s residents and natural resources. said the prosecutor.
After the lawsuit was announced, Norfolk Southern said it was “listening closely to community concerns about whether the derailment could have long-term consequences.”
“We are making progress every day by safely and thoroughly cleaning the site, providing financial assistance to residents and businesses affected, and investing to help Eastern Palestine and the communities around it thrive,” Norfolk Southern said in a statement. .
An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) aerial surveillance device is mounted on a pole after the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, April 4, 2023.
Matt Rourke/AP, DOSSIER
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testified before the Senate in March, when lawmakers in Washington held their first hearing on railroad safety about a month after the derailment. During his opening statement, Shaw said he was “determined to put this right,” and that Norfolk Southern will clean the site “safely, thoroughly and urgently.”
Ahead of his Senate testimony, Shaw said his company is committed to improving railroad safety in a Washington Post op-ed.
Contaminated soil and debris continue to be removed from the derailment site for external treatment and disposal. Air monitoring and soil and drinking water sampling are also underway, which have not detected any levels of contaminants, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Norfolk Southern will have to continue to clean up the contaminated soil and water and transport it safely; reimburse the EPA for cleaning services; and attend public meetings requested by the EPA and share information, U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced Feb. 21. If Norfolk Southern fails to comply, the company will be ordered to pay triple the costs.
On March 16, Norfolk Southern said it had pledged about $24 million to the community of eastern Palestine “with more to come.”
