DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus Ohio's Toxic Train Derailment

I can't imagine how hard this must be for your fam, Pdawg.
Stories like yours are the ones that don't get covered by the national news outlets.

But they are the very real stories that all Americans should know, if they are to understand the USA that they currently live in.


America should stand for better than this.
Our fellow citizens should be able to expect better than this from us.
Our fellow citizens should be able to expect better than this from our government.

This what we pay them for.



.02

Diverting federal funds funds is compulsory in red states.

Hmm, must have changed their tune, I wonder why? Word was: "FEMA isn't best equipped to support the state's current needs"... they're only supposed to bring water to people if they've survived a hurricane.

Strange country we live in. I'm glad they decided to "help".

Understand States rights?
The feds will step in when asked by the state. The state has to declare a disaster. Dewine has not declared a disaster in East Palestine yet. Senator Brown told Dewine 2 days ago to declare. Dewine doesn't think we need to declare a disaster. Why, I don't have a clue. This is a big deal and Dewine and Norfolk should definitely not be running the show.

As for Biden not doing anything, the White House put out a fact sheet including a time line of when they have had their agencies onsite.



FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Deploys Additional Federal Resources to East Palestine, Ohio
HOME
BRIEFING ROOM
STATEMENTS AND RELEASES
The Biden-Harris Administration has mobilized a robust, multi-agency effort to support the people of East Palestine, Ohio.

Within hours of the Norfolk Southern train derailment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deployed a team to East Palestine to support state and local emergency and environmental response efforts. The Department of Transportation (DOT) also arrived on scene to investigate what led to the derailment. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been closely coordinating with the emergency operations center, Ohio Emergency Management Agency, and Federal partners.

As President Biden told Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro soon after the derailment, the Federal Government stands ready to provide any additional federal assistance the states may need. Today, in response to Governor DeWine’s and the Ohio congressional delegation’s request on February 16 for additional federal public health support, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced they are deploying a team of medical personnel and toxicologists to conduct public health testing and assessments. The team will support Federal, state, and local officials already on the ground to evaluate individuals who were exposed or potentially exposed to chemicals and help ensure timely communications to the public.

The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to supporting the people of East Palestine every step of the way, and holding Norfolk Southern accountable. Each Federal agency is playing its unique role in this task, including:

Environmental Protection Agency

EPA personnel arrived on site before dawn on February 4 to support state and local officials who are leading the emergency response efforts. There are dozens of EPA personnel on the ground, including multiple EPA on-scene coordinators, agency scientists, and regional teams, that are tasked with:

Monitoring Air Quality. The EPA is continuously monitoring air quality using state-of-art equipment. The EPA has also deployed mobile detection equipment and stationary equipment for detection of a wide range of compounds, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), phosgene and hydrogen chloride.
Screening Homes for Contaminants. The EPA has assisted with the indoor air monitoring of 500 homes under a voluntary screening program offered to residents, and no detections of vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride were identified above levels of concern. EPA is continuing to offer screening to residents within the evacuation zone.
Securing Norfolk Southern Commitment to Cover Clean Up Costs. On February 10, the EPA issued a letter to Norfolk Southern requiring the railroad to document the release of hazardous contaminants. The letter also outlines cleanup actions at the site and EPA’s authority under the law to hold them accountable.
Holding Norfolk Southern Accountable for Clean Up. The EPA is coordinating the oversight of Norfolk Southern’s soil remediation of the derailment site. The remediation includes testing of the soils within and immediately surrounding the impacted areas. Results of the testing are evaluated by EPA and OH EPA to determine a strategy to ensure the site is cleaned up to meet federal and state regulations.
Helping Ensure Water is Safe to Drink. EPA is assisting state and local agencies to test surface and ground water to ensure drinking water is safe. This includes surface water testing to monitor downstream impacts on the Ohio River.
National Transportation Safety Board and Department of Transportation

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the U.S. and significant accidents in other modes of transportation—including railroad, highway, marine, and pipelines, and Department of Transportation arrived on site within hours of the derailment. The NTSB is leading the investigation into the cause of the derailment with Department of Transportation personnel supporting. Once the investigation is complete, the Federal Government will use all available and appropriate authorities to further ensure accountability and improve rail safety. Ongoing actions include:

Investigating the Cause of the Derailment. The National Transportation Safety Board has been on site since within hours of the derailment to determine what caused the derailment. NTSB plans to submit preliminary findings report within weeks, and a final report that will lay out what caused the derailment. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) within DOT are also on site supporting the NTSB’s investigation.
Ensuring Compliance with Rail Safety Regulations. FRA is working to determine Norfolk Southern’s compliance with rail safety regulations. When DOT gets the results from the NTSB investigation about the cause of the derailment, as well as the analysis from the FRA on rail safety compliance, DOT will take actions as needed that ensure accountability and improve safety.
Creating a safer rail system. DOT is working on numerous fronts to improve rail safety, including managing over $4 billion in discretionary grant programs designed to improve rail safety and eliminate at-grade rail crossings. DOT also provides training and resources for local first responders who deal with hazardous materials incidents. DOT is also working on rulemakings to improve rail safety including proposing a rule that would require a minimum of a two-person train crew size for safety reasons, a major priority for rail workers. DOT conducts research to improve the design of rail cars that carry hazardous materials. DOT is also developing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that will require railroads to provide real-time information on the contents of tank cars to authorized emergency response officials responding to or investigating an incident involving the transportation of hazardous materials by rail.
Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

In response to Governor DeWine’s request on February 16 for additional federal public health support, HHS and the CDC are deploying a team of medical personnel and toxicologists to conduct public health testing and assessments. The team will include a medical toxicologist and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Region 5 lead to support EPA and state health department efforts. ATSDR protects communities from harmful health effects related to exposure to natural and man-made hazardous substances and will send a team to interview people in the derailment area and conduct an Assessment of Chemical Exposure investigation.

Since the derailment, HHS has been providing technical assistance to state and Federal partners on emergency response, emergency management, and scientific assessments of chemicals including risk communication. This has included participating in daily state-led emergency coordination calls to provide expert advice and analysis.

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA is in constant contact with the emergency operations center in East Palestine, as well as the Ohio Emergency Management Agency and Federal partners. EPA has secured Norfolk Southern’s commitment to cover all cleanup costs.

But everything is political now.

Yeah, you are correct about the reporter... My mistake...

I don't understand the Vance thing. our Governor has stated clearly that Biden called him and offered whatever he needed. Not sure what Vance wanted Biden to do beyond that.

Everything is political now.

Once FEMA got word Trump was making a visit, they immediately changed their tune!

Did you mean to post that in the political jokes thread?

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lawsuits-filed-ohio-train-derailment-rcna71192

Good for them.

It isn’t as hard for us because she has been in rehab and will be going to a long term facility. She is 97 and was born in that house. She also is in the next town over (New Waterford) but for those that know the area it is all the same as far as economics. Most don’t have the funds to go to a hotel for short periods of time, let alone pickup and move.

The silver lining I guess is Medicaid will end up taking the loss on the house.

Sad story for your aunt and others like her. I am of the opinion that the government can't cover everything, but it kills me how many folks are out there talking about causes and helping others, but they don't do a damn thing for people that are in predicaments like this because it's not trending and won't draw enough attention to themselves.

That's what Trump is saying but the timing doesn't work. FEMA BEFORE was on board trump said a word

It's almost like watching SNL.

Yeah FEMA bringing water to Ohioans to replace their poisoned ground water is so comical.

They don't really care. It's more about political points than people. They provide the evidence in their own posts.

The top political leadership in Ohio should all be held accountable for their failure to ensure the safety of Ohio citizens. Red flags have been flying in this industry for years. And no federal funds should be allocated to Ohio for cleanup. This is the state of Ohio and Norfolk RR mess to cleanup.

j/c

That’s sick. NE Ohioans on well water are toast. The mother of all class action lawsuits begins.

And we all know how that works. Norfolk Southern will have their attorney's delay and continue these cases. Stretching them out over a long period of time. Meanwhile these people will suffer and they'll really need that money. Norfolk Southern will hope that makes those people more desperate and that they will settle for mess money. We've watched this tactic used ad nauseam.

Just my opinion but: It's a failure by Republicans and Democrats - and probably the general public at large. The simple fact is that in order to rectify aging infrastructure - it costs money. Money that would need to come from tax dollars. It doesn't matter if you are a politician from either party or an independent, none will win by campaigning to raise taxes. The cost to "fix our infrastructure" - one report by the American Soc of Civil Engineers - $2.6 Trillion.... The reality is everyone is up in arms when something like this happens, but no-one wants to stump for the $$$$ to pro-actively fix the root problems. And much like the NJ derailment and Vinyl chloride spill in 2012 - we won't know the human cost and long term health issues for decades and the real cost of these accidents (human, economic, medical) is virtually incalculable.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/30/politics/infrastructure-us-investment-cost-engineers/index.html

As for the frequency of derailments that someone asked about - yes it is over 1,000 every year.

https://www.witf.org/2023/02/17/train-derailments-have-increased-under-joe-biden-decreased-over-50-since-2003/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Federal%20Railroad,re%20down%2016%25%20since%202019.

And what counts as a derailment - http://railsystem.net/derailment/

Just a little more info, for anyone that cares about facts.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/fact-check-brake-mandate-reversed-225829249.html

Headline: "Fact check: Brake mandate reversed by Trump not a factor in East Palestine train derailment"

If anyone cares to, they can read the article.

This article assumes that the railroad would know which cars will be part of a train that meets the mandate forever. They do not know this.

How would you know if the cars and the engine will always be part of the excluded units?

j/c

Rail unions tell Biden officials workers have fallen ill at Norfolk Southern derailment site

Leaders from 12 unions met with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Amit Bose, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration.

The presidents of U.S. railroad unions told Biden administration officials that rail workers have fallen ill at the Norfolk Southern derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio, in a push for more train safety.

Leaders from 12 unions met with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Amit Bose, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, in Washington, D.C., Wednesday to discuss the derailment, aftermath and needed safety improvements.

“My hope is the stakeholders in this industry can work towards the same goals related to safety when transporting hazardous materials by rail,” said Mike Baldwin, president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen. “Today’s meeting is an opportunity for labor to share what our members are seeing and dealing with day to day. The railroaders labor represents are the employees who make it safe and they must have the tools to do so.”

Jeremy Ferguson, president of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers — Transportation Division, told CNBC that Buttigieg plans on more talks with the unions in the future.

“This was a good start,” said Ferguson. “It’s important these safety issues are addressed. No one wants another East Palestine. The safety discussion of employees must be addressed. The running of these long trains was a point of discussion as well.”

The meeting comes on the heels of letters sent to both the DOT and the FRA Wednesday in which union representations claimed rail workers had gotten sick at the derailment site. CNBC obtained the letters, addressed to Buttigieg, Bose, East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, from the general chairman of the American Rail System Federation of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

According to the letter, Norfolk Southern rail workers who have worked or continue to work the cleanup site have reported experiencing “migraines and nausea.” One worker reportedly asked his supervisor to be transferred off the derailment site because of his symptoms, but never heard back from his supervisor and was left at the job site.

The letter also claims workers are not being provided appropriate personal protective equipment such as respirators, eye protection or protective clothing. According to union representatives, 35 to 40 workers were on the track and were not supplied with proper breathing apparatuses — only paper and N95 masks — or rubber gloves, boots or coverups.

A Norfolk Southern spokesperson told CNBC in a statement that the train company was “on-scene immediately after the derailment and coordinated our response with hazardous material professionals who were on site continuously to ensure the work area was safe to enter and the required PPE was utilized, all in addition to air monitoring that was established within an hour.”

Earlier Wednesday, a group of bipartisan senators introduced The Railway Safety Act of 2023, aimed at preventing future train disasters like the derailment that devastated the Ohio village.

The legislation includes a number of safety protocols for the transportation of hazardous materials. It would also create requirements for wayside defect detectors, establish a permanent requirement for railroads to operate with at least two-person crews, as well as increase fines for wrongdoing committed by rail carriers.

“If this legislation is adopted, the [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen] supports those efforts and looks forward to working collaboratively on common sense regulations that continue to improve safety,” Baldwin said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/rail-unions-say-workers-fell-ill-ohio-derailment-site-rcna73006

j/c

Had this train not have spilled toxic material we likely would never have heard about it. I know that I had no idea the derailment that happened in Springfield Ohio just yesterday was the fourth Norfolk Southern derailment in Ohio in five months.

Train crashes in Clark County; fourth Norfolk Southern derailment in Ohio in five months

A Norfolk Southern train derailed Saturday evening in Clark County — the fourth time a Norfolk Southern train has derailed in Ohio in recent months.

Here's what we know right now:

About 20 of the 212 cars jumped track about 4:45 p.m. Saturday near State Route 41 and Gateway Boulevard, by the Clark County Fairgrounds and the Prime Ohio Corporate Park.

Multiple agencies have confirmed this latest crash didn't involve any hazardous chemicals.

No one was injured.

This crash comes about a month after a catastrophic derailment in East Palestine on Feb. 3 led to a town evacuation, massive fires and lingering environmental and health questions.

The train wasn't carrying hazardous materials, according to a Norfolk Southern spokesperson.

"There is NO risk to the public," spokesperson Connor Spielmaker said on Twitter.

Crews from the Clark County Hazmat team and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency have each independently examined the train crash site in Springfield Twp. and said they found no evidence of spillage at the site.

Two tankers contained residual amounts of diesel exhaust fluid and another two tankers contained residual amounts of polyacrylamide water solution, the Clark County Emergency Management Agency said in a news release. According to Norfolk Southern, these are non-hazardous materials. They also say these materials are commonly shipped via rail.

The Clark County EMA had asked residents within 1,000 feet of the derailment to shelter in place Saturday night "out of an abundance of caution."

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Twitter he had been briefed on the crash and spoke with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to offer support.

"No hazardous material release has been reported, but we will continue to monitor closely and (Federal Railroad Administration) personnel are en route," he said.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, issued a statement on Saturday night calling for the passage of the Railway Safety Act, legislation that he's proposed with U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio.

"Sandusky, Steubenville, East Palestine, and now Springfield — four Norfolk Southern derailments in less than five months ... Ohio communities should not be forced to live in fear of another disaster," Brown said. "It’s unacceptable — it’s why we must pass my bipartisan Railway Safety Act with Senator Vance, now."

More than 1,500 customers lost power due to downed lines. As of 9 a.m. Sunday, about 100 customers remained without power. Ohio Edison estimated they would be restored by 10 a.m. Sunday.

The county EMA also asked drivers to avoid the area. State Route 41 is expected to remain closed until further notice. A detour is posted.

Multiple Clark County and Ohio agencies responded Saturday evening, including the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, the Ohio Department of Public Safety, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Springfield Twp. Fire Department, Springfield Fire/Rescue Division, Clark County Sheriff’s Office and the Springfield Police Division.

DeWine tweeted Saturday night that both Buttigieg and President Joe Biden had reached out to him to offer support.

https://news.wosu.org/2023-03-04/tr...DMrlX7KUJUsDWJtZgj8YqwGqJjtmaCN3hXgFwT04

In this article, they are saying there was no risk to the public, but they had my daughter freaked out because they posted people living within 1000 feet of the derailment should evacuate. One thousand feet isn't very far, but it's as long as a football field. I'm sure it was just out of precaution, but none of this bodes well for railways in Ohio. Why are so many derailments happening? That must be why we got an infrastructure package finally, to fix railroads.

fun fact... there are about 1,500 train derailments a year. That means we have about 3-5 every day in the USA.

50% of the derailments could be fixed by better maintenance of the tracks and the other 50% comes from human error. (makes me wonder how long before Elon steps in and builds self-driving train AI)

Interesting thought. With AI engines, efficiency could be improved to where you could have more smaller engines pulling shorter loads, and with proper routing have more bypasses, so loads are shipped more direct, and have less stops along a route.

Trains would be great for such tech as they don't deal with lanes, exits, and have right of ways in most scenarios.

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/06/1161262824/train-derailment-springfield-ohio

A Norfolk Southern train derailed Saturday evening in Springfield, Ohio, sending 28 cars sliding diagonally across the tracks but injuring no one, according to several state and local agencies.


Sounds like Ohio republican leadership has a huge problem maintaining and regulating the railway ROW through their dark red state. But I’m sure they’ll be pointing crooked fingers everywhere else again. pfffft.

Seems like a bigger problem in the bluest of blue states.

"Since the start of 2021, 334 trains have derailed in California — nearly one every other day — including four that led to hazardous material spills, according to data from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services."

Maybe the trains aren't actually motivated by politics at all?

Fair enough. States like Ohio and California should be making sure companies like Norfolk Southern are compliant to all state and federal regulations.

Oddly enough, there is a federal government agency for that...

usa.gov/federal-agencies/federal-railroad-administration

https://railroads.dot.gov/

Trump defunded them while cutting regulations.

this was already proven inaccurate.

Trump didn't the FRRA did.

Plus, the accident that happened didn't have the brakes in question under the change.

https://railroads.dot.gov/newsroom/...tion-modernizes-brake-safety-standards-0

Doesn't matter bro. There's always "six degrees of Trump"... trolls need only prove he ever rode on a train.

Dude caused an entire pandemic by "gutting the CDC"... it's not hard to understand that this train derailment is clearly his fault as well.


I just wish he would quit pushing Biden up the steps of Air Force One.

That great infrastructure bill he promised is certainly going to help. Oh wait, never mind.

Bipartisan rail safety bill runs into Republican roadblock

A bipartisan push to bolster railroad safety is turning into a slog as top Senate Republicans indicate they are not yet on board with the main legislative response to the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment.

Ohio Sens. J.D. Vance (R) and Sherrod Brown (D) unveiled a rail safety proposal last week that has already won over the White House and top Democrats. But winning support from Republicans is proving to be harder as some question if it is too soon to move on a bill that could have unintended consequences.

“We’ll take a look at what’s being proposed, but an immediate quick response heavy on regulation needs to be thoughtful and targeted,” Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican, told The Hill.

“Let’s define the problem. Let’s figure out what the solutions are and if there are things we need to fix, we’ll fix them,” Thune continued.

Vance and Brown’s Railway Safety Act would boost safety requirements for trains carrying hazardous materials, call for more frequent inspections of rail cars, increase fines for safety violations and greenlight $27 million to examine possible other safety improvements.

The bill would also require more frequent use of sensors that detect overheated wheel bearings. The East Palestine train’s sensors failed to detect the problem in time, causing the derailment, according to a preliminary National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report.

However, the proposal leaves the specifics of the new rules to the Department of Transportation, causing some concern among Republicans.

Thune added that he was “uncomfortable” giving “much more power” to the department and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who has been the subject of intense criticism from Republicans.

Vance told The Hill in a brief interview that while he has been encouraged by the initial reaction to the bill, he acknowledges there are a number of mountains to climb before it can get across the finish line. Among those: the absence of the final report by the NTSB and opposition from the powerful railway lobby.

“But I actually think there’s something to be done here,” he said.

Railroad industry could derail new rules

The railroad industry is gearing up to oppose stricter federal rules, arguing that the industry should be able to regulate itself. Railroads have long opposed government regulations, arguing that they’re too costly and burdensome, and frequently recruit Republican lawmakers to weaken or delay them.

Norfolk Southern, the company whose train derailed in East Palestine, was among several major rail operators to help defeat federal and state measures meant to boost rail safety.

The American Association of Railroads, which lobbies on behalf of Norfolk Southern and the other top U.S. railroads, told The Hill that the Railway Safety Act would not have prevented a similar crash. The group said that it plans to work with “all stakeholders to meaningfully advance real solutions.”

Norfolk Southern on Monday rolled out its own safety plan to install around 200 additional hot wheel bearing detectors to its trains and develop more effective technology and industry standards for the early warning systems.

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw, who will testify before a Senate panel Thursday, said in a statement that the NTSB report shows the need for a “comprehensive industry effort” to improve safety.

“We are eager to help drive that effort and we are not waiting to take action,” he said.

Another Norfolk Southern train derailed in Springfield, Ohio, on Saturday. While the cars weren’t carrying hazardous items, the incident prompted renewed calls for action by Democratic lawmakers.

Rail workers want stricter regulations

The Railway Safety Act already has the support of the largest rail worker union in the U.S.

SMART-TD President Jimmy Ferguson last week urged Congress to swiftly pass the bill “without being watered down by negotiations or the special interests that will seek to stop it and claim that it is too ‘burdensome’ for a highly profitable industry to implement.”

The measure would mandate two-person crews — a rule the Biden administration is already pursuing that has drawn thousands of supportive comments from workers who said they wouldn’t be safe working solo.

Fritz Edler, a retired 40-year railroad worker and advocate at Railroad Workers United, said that the bill includes many measures workers have prioritized. But he’s also concerned that the rail industry could push the Transportation Department to issue weaker regulations.

Edler noted that the Trump administration and GOP lawmakers worked to scrap several Obama-era railroad regulations, including a rule that would have required more trains to install advanced braking systems, at the behest of the railroad industry.

“Most of that comes down to the immense, unimaginable power that the railroads have,” Edler said.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate...ety-bill-runs-into-republican-roadblock/

The party of no strikes again. Pffft.And when something else blows up, fingers are pointed directly towards the Dem in the Oval.