U.S. Sens. from Ohio and Pennsylvania want the National Institutes of Environmental Health to help in the response to health concerns from residents impacted by the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment.
Norfolk Southern will create a new first responder training center in Ohio and expand its Operation Awareness and Response Program, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Wednesday.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw did not appear in front of Pennsylvania lawmakers on Wednesday, but is expected to do so later this month and provide documents that track the rail company’s response to the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
Norfolk Southern agreed this week to reimburse first responders, county relief funds and state agencies nearly $7.4 million in the wake of the Feb. 3 train derailment near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border.
The National Transportation and Safety Board is expected back in Ohio today to investigate the fourth Norfolk Southern train derailment in the state in the past five months.
The Ohio Senate now gets a chance to weigh in on proposed new safety regulations and a drop in electric vehicle registration fees after the House passed a $12.6 billion two-year transportation budget.
Republicans and Democrats in Congress want to tighten railroad regulations and spend more than $20 million to develop rail safety nearly a month after a train carrying hazardous materials derailed near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
A Pennsylvania Senate panel will gather Wednesday to consider subpoenaing Norfolk Southern after its chief executive officer ignored an invitation to testify about the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment.