Norfolk Southern Railway President Alan Shaw when testifying to a Senate panel on Thursday refused to commit to backing bipartisan legislation by Ohio’s two senators that would impose new regulations on the rail industry, including new procedures for carrying hazardous materials.
The bill by Sens. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and J.D. Vance, a Republican, was in response to the horrific train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that spilled toxic chemicals into the town and left residents scared and frustrated.
Mr. Shaw said he was “deeply sorry” for the accident and “determined to make this right.” But he wasn’t ready to buy in on the Brown-Vance bill.
In testimony before the panel, Mr. Vance said the legislation is comprised of “reasonable public safety enhancements,” and he pushed back against critics in his party who see it as government overreach.
“We have a choice: Are we for big business and big government or are we for the people of East Palestine?” Mr. Vance said. “It is a time for choosing - let’s make the right one.”
The Feb. 3 train derailment has led to an intense round of fingerpointing and blameshifting over who is responsible for the mess, what could have been done to prevent the accident, and what should be done to improve rail safety moving forward.
Mr. Shaw stopped short of spelling out how far the company is willing to go when it comes to covering residents’ healthcare costs and compensating citizens for lost property values and lost business.
Before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Mr. Shaw said, “You have my personal commitment” that Norfolk Southern “will get the job done and help East Palestine thrive.”
“I am committed to doing what is right,” he said. “We are going to be there today, tomorrow, a year from now, five years from now, ten years from now.”
The cleanup and the political fallout continue.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has taken heat from liberals and conservatives alike for waiting nearly three weeks before visiting East Palestine and not putting more of his energy into enhancing rail safety before the accident.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, said at the hearing that it is long past time that President Biden visits the crash site.