HARRISBURG, Pa. — "Norfolk Southern is here for the long haul, and we won’t be finished until we make this right.”
That was the message from Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw in regard to the toxic Ohio train derailment as he testified Monday morning in Pennsylvania before the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee in Harrisburg.
We are streaming the committee hearing live in the video at the top of this story. You can also watch additional live coverage on our YouTube channel (subscribe here).
This testimony comes less than two weeks after Shaw answered questions before a U.S. Senate committee hearing earlier this month in connection with the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine.
“I want to begin today by expressing how deeply sorry I am for the impact this derailment has had on the citizens of East Palestine and the communities in western Pennsylvania," Shaw said in his opening statement before the Pennsylvania committee. "I’ve been to East Palestine and Pennsylvania many times over the past six weeks. I’ve talked with community leaders, business owners, school officials, faith-based leaders and others throughout the community. They’ve shared their stories and their concerns about the health of their families, their businesses and the future of the community they love. I am determined to make this right."
You can watch the full hearing in the video below:
Shaw also said Norfolk Southern "continues to make good on its promise" to clean the site "safely, thoroughly and with urgency."
"You have my personal commitment," Shaw continued. "We will get the job done and we will help these communities thrive."
He noted that Norfolk Southern has invested more than $7.5 million in Pennsylvania to help establish a community relief fund and to reimburse emergency responders, health and environmental agencies for costs related to the derailment.
"This is just the start," Shaw said. "We have also provided support to hundreds of Pennsylvanians through Norfolk Southern's family assistance center, which has been open since the day after the incident. We’re also in the planning stages of developing a long-term medical compensation fund, property value assurance program and long-term water testing program. We look forward to working toward a final resolution with relevant stakeholders to finalize the details of these programs."
Safety was also among the topics Shaw highlighted during his opening statement.
"We strive to make our safety culture the best in the industry," he said. "The events of the last several weeks are not who we are as a company. When I began my tenure as CEO 10 months ago, I spent hours in crew rooms all over our 22-state network thanking our frontline railroaders and asking for their advice. They are proud of the important work they do for this great country, and they take safety seriously. I’m going to make sure they have the right training, the right processes, the right equipment and the right technology. You have my commitment on that."
Once questioning began, Shaw was repeatedly asked about who made the decision to conduct the controlled release of chemicals.
“The ultimate decision made by unified command under the leadership of the incident commander was made on Monday, Feb. 6, based on the conditions on the ground as we knew them," Shaw said. "There was concern about an uncontrolled catastrophic explosion that would shoot harmful chemicals and shrapnel through the area. So the decision made by unified command under the direction of the incident commander was a controlled vent and burn."
During this month's previous U.S. Senate hearing, Shaw apologized and vowed to help the community recover.
“I’m terribly sorry for the impact this derailment has had on the folks of that community,” Shaw said. “We’re going to be there for as long as it takes to help East Palestine thrive and recover.”
This hearing was also where Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts repeatedly asked Shaw if Norfolk Southern would commit to compensating homeowners for their diminished property values after the East Palestine derailment.
"Senator, I’m committing to do what’s right," Shaw replied.
You can watch their full exchange on that question in the video below: