On February 14, following a meeting with Beaver County Commissioners, local elected officials, and emergency management leaders, Governor Shapiro sent a letter to Norfolk Southern Corporation CEO Alan Shaw, expressing serious concerns regarding the company’s management of the February 3 train derailment.

Local and state leaders are frustrated and concerned by Norfolk Southern’s disregard for crisis management best practices and agree Norfolk Southern could have put Pennsylvanians’ health and well-being at risk.

Governor Shapiro met with State Senator Camera Bartolotta, State Rep. Josh Kail, State Rep. Jim Marshall, State Rep. Robert Matzie, Beaver County Commissioners Dan Camp, Jack Manning, and Tony Amadio, and Beaver County Emergency Services Deputy Director Kevin Whipple.

The Governor's letter says in part--

“I am writing to express my serious concerns regarding Norfolk Southern Corporation’s management of the Norfolk Southern train derailment that occurred near East Palestine, Ohio on February 3.

“The derailment occurred approximately a quarter mile from the Pennsylvania state line and has had a significant impact on the residents, businesses, and environment in Beaver County.”

“First, Norfolk Southern failed to implement Unified Command, creating confusion and resulting in a general lack of awareness for first responders and emergency management of the tactics Norfolk Southern planned in response.”

“Second Norfolk Southern gave inaccurate information and conflicting modeling about the impact of the controlled release that made protective action decision making more difficult in the immediate aftermath of the derailment.”

“Third, Norfolk Southern’s unwillingness to explore or articulate alternative courses of action to their proposed vent and burn limited state and local leaders; ability to respond effectively.”

“While I appreciate that responding to train derailments presents an array of complex challenges, failure to adhere to well-accepted standards of practice related to incident management and prioritizing an accelerated and arbitrary timeline to reopen the rail line injected unnecessary risk and created confusion in the process.

“You can be assured that Pennsylvania will hold Norfolk Southern accountable for any and all impacts to our Commonwealth.

“Norfolk Southern has repeatedly assured us of the safety of their rail cars-- in fact, leading Norfolk Southern personnel described them to me as “the Cadillac of rail cars”-- yet despite these assertions, these were the same cars that Norfolk Southern Personnel Rushed to vent and burn without gathering input from state and local leaders.

“Norfolk Southern’s well known opposition to modernized regulations require further scrutiny and investigation to limit the devastating effects of future accidents on peoples’ lives, property, businesses, and the environment.

“While regulation of the railroad industry is largely the purview of our federal partners, we plan to take direct action here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

“I have called on the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, which is charged with oversight of the Commonwealth’s railroads, to review Norfolk Southern’s conduct and report back their findings.

“Like me, members of our state legislative delegation are troubled by the conduct of Norfolk Southern during this incident.  As they proceed with their review and oversight responsibilities, I have pledged the full cooperation of my Administration in order to help them facilitate holding your company accountable to Pennsylvanians.”

“I urge the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to reexamine what constitutes a high-hazard flammable train and revisit the need for regulation requiring high-hazard flammable trains to carry more advanced safety and braking equipment.

“As you conduct your after-action report, I expect you to address these concerns and report back on what steps you are taking to rectify the situation and ensure this does not happen again.”

Click Here for a copy of the entire letter.

PA Measures

Pennsylvania continues to see no concerning air or water quality readings following this incident. The Department of Environmental Protection will continue to work with its partners to monitor the air and water quality closely in the weeks and months ahead.

For more information about air and water quality, please view the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s monitoring results here.

More Information

Visit DEP’s Ohio/PA Train Derailment webpage for more information on the state’s response.

NewsClips:

-- WITF: PA Emergency Services Implore State For Urgent Help With Staffing, Funding - Fire, EMS, Police

-- StateImpactPA - Reid Frazier: Ohio/PA Train That Derailed Wasn’t Considered ‘High Hazard,’ Could Stricter Rules Make Hazardous Material Transport Safer?

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Lawmakers Slamming Norfolk Southern As ‘Ignorant’ And Greedy After Ohio/PA Train Derailment

-- TribLive: PA Cong. Deluzio Calls For Congressional Action After Ohio/PA Train Derailment

-- TribLive: Online Resources For Information On Ohio/PA Train Derailment

-- TribLive: Allegheny County Air Quality Remains Unaffected By Train Derailment, Officials Say

-- UnionProgress.com: Experts: Pittsburgh Water Safe To Drink Following Ohio/PA Train Derailment

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak, Others: What We Know About Health Concerns Related To Ohio/PA Train Derailment

-- AP: Ohio To Open Medical Clinic Near Ohio/PA Trail Derailment As Health Worries Linger

-- Post-Gazette: Ohio Residents Fear For Their Health And Answers Are Hard To Find - ‘How Long Is This Going To Last?’

-- USA Today: Ohio/PA Train Derailment Fact Check: What’s True And What’s False?

-- Wheeling News: NTSB Looking At Overheated Wheel Bearing In Ohio/PA Train Derailment Investigation

-- PA Capital-Star: Casey, Fetterman Join Ohio Counterparts To Call For More Federal Action On Ohio/PA Train Derailment

-- New Jersey Monitor: Ohio/PA Train Derailment Prompts New Calls To Block PA Natural Gas Transport Plan By Train/Truck To Proposed New Jersey LNG Export Terminal

-- AP: EPA Chief At Ohio/PA Train Derailment Site: ‘Trust The Government’

-- USA Today: EPA Will ‘Hold Norfolk Southern Responsible’ For Ohio/PA Train Derailment, Cleanup

-- Bloomberg: Norfolk Southern CEO Pledges To Ensure Safety Of Ohio Town After Train Derailment

-- AP: Norfolk Southern CEO Visits Ohio/PA Train Derailment Site

-- Norfolk Southern: Furthers Environmental Efforts In East Palestine, Ohio [Train Derailment Site]

-- Bloomberg: Ohio/PA Train Crash Unleashes Local Rage, Suspicion Over Toxic Chemicals

-- CNN: Ohio Residents Worry Rashes, Headaches, Other Symptoms May Be Tied To Chemicals From Ohio/OA Train Crash

-- Canton Repository: Lawsuit: Fish And Animals Dying As Far As 20 Miles Away From Ohio/PA Train Derailment Site

Related Articles This Week:

-- Gov. Shapiro Lays Out Serious Concerns Regarding Norfolk Southern’s Incident Management After Meeting With Beaver County Officials  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro Announces Pennsylvania Will Conduct Independent Water Sampling Following Ohio/PA Train Derailment  [PaEN]

-- PA Agriculture On Ohio/PA Train Derailment Impacts: 2 Reports Of Horses Affected By Smoke Immediately Following Controlled Burn; No Reports Of Livestock, Domestic Animal Health Symptoms After [PaEN]

-- Two PA Senate Committees To Hold Hearings On Ohio/PA Train Derailment: Emergency Preparedness- Feb. 23; Transportation- Feb. 27 - Public Invited To Submit Questions  To Transportation [PaEN]

-- Ohio/PA Train Derailment, Pipeline Explosions, Uncontrolled Releases Put Spotlight On Public Health, Safety Threats Posed By Petrochemical, Natural Gas Industrial And Pipeline Infrastructure In PA  [PaEN]

-- Groups Urge DEP To Temporarily Halt Operations At Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County; File 2nd Notice Of Intent To Sue For Air Pollution Violations  [PaEN]

-- DEP Issued 754 Notices Of Violation For Defective Oil & Gas Well Casing, Cementing, The Fundamental Protection Needed To Prevent Gas Migration, Groundwater & Air Contamination, Explosions  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Feb. 11 to 17  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Approves 38 Water Use Requests For Shale Gas Well Drilling Pads In Bradford, Clearfield, Lycoming, Potter, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wyoming Counties  [PaEN]

-- Better Path Coalition Hosts Feb. 21 Webinar On DEP's Federally-Funded Oil & Gas Well Plugging Program [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices/Opportunities To Comment - Feb. 18  [PaEN]

-- DEP Approves Permits For Transcontinental Gas Regional Energy Access Expansion Pipeline Project in Luzerne, Northampton, Bucks, Chester, Monroe Counties  [PaEN]

-- Environmental Health Project Blog: Natural Gas Compressor Stations - A Guide To Protecting Your Health And The Environment [Photo: FracTracker, Clinton County] [PaEN]

-- PA Environmental Defense Foundation Files Court Motion To Prevent Unconstitutional Spending Of DCNR Oil & Gas Revenues For Nonconservation Purposes  [PaEN]

[Posted: February 14, 2023]

2/20/2023