{"id":1042,"date":"2023-03-09T20:13:29","modified":"2024-08-30T02:30:54","slug":"fetterman-submits-statement-for-the-record-questions-norfolk-southern-ceo-at-epw-hearing-on-train-derailment","link":"https:\/\/www.fetterman.senate.gov\/fetterman-submits-statement-for-the-record-questions-norfolk-southern-ceo-at-epw-hearing-on-train-derailment\/","title":{"rendered":"Fetterman Submits Statement for the Record, Questions Norfolk Southern CEO at EPW Hearing on Train Derailment"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Pennsylvania U.S. Senator John Fetterman submitted a statement for the record and multiple questions to remotely participate in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee\u2019s hearing on Protecting Public Health and the Environment in the Wake of the Norfolk Southern Train Derailment and Chemical Release in East Palestine, Ohio<\/em>. Senator Fetterman\u2019s full statement can be found here<\/a>, and a video of Committee Chair Tom Carper reading part of Fetterman\u2019s statement can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A full video of Senator Fetterman\u2019s questions to Norfolk Southern Corporation President and CEO Alan Shaw, read by Chairman Carper, can be found here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

A full list of Senator Fetterman\u2019s questions can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot sit by and allow executives at big companies like Norfolk Southern to operate as if the health and safety of communities like Darlington Township and East Palestine are expendable. We cannot allow these communities to continue to be forgotten and left behind,\u201d writes Senator Fetterman in the statement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m working with my colleagues across both state and party lines to fight for the forgotten people of Pennsylvania and Ohio, hold Norfolk Southern responsible for the damage they\u2019ve caused, and prevent similar disasters from happening in the future,\u201d Senator Fetterman continued<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur work together in the wake of this disaster has been two-fold. First, we\u2019ve done everything we can to support Pennsylvanians and Ohioans affected by the disaster in the short-term, namely advocating for resources and compelling Norfolk Southern to detail how they will make these communities whole\u2026 While working toward these important short-term solutions, we\u2019re also fighting to prevent similar disasters from happening in the future. To that end, Senator Casey and I worked with Senators Brown and Vance to introduce the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023, which would take much needed steps to improve rail safety protocols and keep American families safe,\u201d he continued<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Sens. Fetterman and Bob Casey (D-PA) have worked tirelessly to support Pennsylvanians and Ohioans impacted by this disaster in the short-term, namely advocating for resources and holding Norfolk Southern accountable for the harm the derailment has inflicted, in addition to working to prevent similar disasters from happening in the future.<\/p>\n

Sen. Fetterman wrote<\/a> to Shaw about the company\u2019s legal and moral obligation to the residents of East Palestine and Darlington Township, demanding answers on how the company plans to be an active member of response and clean-up operations. He pressed<\/a> EPA on its plan to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for releasing hazardous materials into the air and water. He wrote\u00a0<\/a>to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to share rail safety concerns they have heard from constituents, rail experts, and railroad workers as NTSB conducts its investigation into the derailment.\u00a0And finally, he worked with Sen. Casey and Congressman Chris Deluzio (D-PA) to urge<\/a> Norfolk Southern to provide assistance to Pennsylvanians in Darlington Township after repeated reports that Pennsylvania residents were being turned away at the Family Assistance Center in East Palestine.<\/p>\n

The Pennsylvania Senators also joined with Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and J.D. Vance (R-OH) to introduce the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023<\/em><\/a> which would take much needed steps to improve rail safety protocols and prevent future train disasters like the derailment that devastated East Palestine and Darlington Township. The bill will take key steps to improve rail safety protocols, such as enhancing safety procedures for trains carrying hazardous materials, establishing requirements for wayside defect detectors, creating a permanent requirement for railroads to operate with at least two-person crews, increasing fines for wrongdoing committed by rail carriers, and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false}}