EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — The chairman of Norfolk Southern traveled to East Palestine, Ohio on Saturday following criticism from residents and political leaders over the company’s response to a fiery train derailment of goods carrying toxic materials at the beginning of the month.
Fox Business reports that the company’s chairman and chief executive, Alan Shaw, told reporters on Saturday that he was there “to support the community,” but declined to comment further.
Earlier in the week, representatives of Norfolk Southern were absent from a public meeting attended by hundreds of people, with officials saying they were worried about physical threats. Gov. Mike DeWine was upset by the no-show at Wednesday’s meeting and said Shaw needed to travel to eastern Palestine and answer questions.
Norfolk Southern said in a statement on Friday that it was “committed to coordinating the clean-up project and paying associated costs”, saying the company wanted to ensure that the people and natural environment of Eastern Palestine “not only recover but prosper”.
“Our company will work tirelessly every day to get Eastern Palestine back on its feet as soon as possible,” Shaw said in the statement. “We know we will be judged on our actions, and we take that accountability and responsibility very seriously.”
Despite repeated assurances that air and water tests showed no signs of contamination, residents in towns along the Pennsylvania state line have complained of persistent headaches and eye irritation and some said they were afraid to go home. DeWine said a medical clinic opening early next week to assess residents and analyze their symptoms will include a team of chemical exposure experts deployed to eastern Ohio.
Chemicals that spilled into nearby streams killed thousands of fish and a smaller amount ended up in the Ohio River. While officials said the contamination posed no threat, towns in Ohio and West Virginia that get their drinking water from the river were watching for a slow-moving plume and a few temporarily turned to sources of water. alternative water.
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