(WASHINGTON) — The CEO of Norfolk Southern, the rail company responsible for the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, has agreed to appear before a Senate committee next week, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Alan Shaw will appear before the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee during a March 9 hearing.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Shaw to appear for a hearing during floor remarks on Monday.
“The American people should hear from Norfolk Southern CEO precisely why they thought it was a good idea to spend years lobbying to loosen regulations designed to prevent accidents like this,” Schumer said. “And I especially want to hear why Norfolk Southern, after seeing a record $3.3 billion in profits last year, prioritized billions in stock buybacks instead of putting that money towards safety and towards their workers.”
The hearing has not yet been formally noticed by the committee, but other witnesses are expected.
The freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed on Feb. 3 near East Palestine, sending toxic chemicals into the air, soil and creeks in the area. The derailment has caused concerns for residents as well as increased scrutiny of railway regulations and calls for reform.
A bipartisan group of Senators, led by Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown and Ohio Republican J.D. Vance, introduced legislation on Wednesday looking to regulate the railroad industry.
Among the proposals in the legislation are measures to enhance safety precautions for trains carrying hazardous material, like requiring that wheels of trains carrying hazardous materials be scanned for heat every 10 miles; mandating a two-person crew aboard all trains; and increasing the fines that the Department of Transportation can levy against corporations for breaking rules.
“Through this legislation, Congress has a real opportunity to ensure that what happened in East Palestine will never happen again,” Vance said in a statement. “We owe every American the peace of mind that their community is protected from a catastrophe of this kind.”
This is the first major legislative foray for Vance, Ohio’s freshman senator. The bill boasts an impressive group of bipartisan co-sponsors, including Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
It’s not yet clear whether the legislation will have the necessary 60 votes to clear the Senate, but the bipartisan group of co-sponsors suggests it’ll have more than a fighting chance.
“These commonsense bipartisan safety measures will finally hold big railroad companies accountable, make our railroads and the towns along them safer, and prevent future tragedies, so no community has to suffer like East Palestine again,” Brown said in a statement.
In floor remarks Wednesday, Schumer announced his support for the bipartisan Railway Safety Act and said he would work with the bill’s sponsors to advance it forward for a vote.
“This is precisely the kind of proposal we need to see in Congress,” he said.
“The bill is as smart as it is necessary,” Schumer said.
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