National Transportation Safety Board officials delivered tough testimony Tuesday at a hearing marking the end of its investigation into the deadly February 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy accused Norfolk Southern of repeatedly interfering with the federal investigation.
She alleged that Norfolk Southern Railroad contractors lied about not keeping records about temperatures inside the tank cars, which were loaded with corrosive polyvinyl chloride that was later incinerated or leaked into local aquifers.
In his closing remarks, Homendy argued that the NTSB later interviewed Norfolk Southern employees and discovered text messages between the company and a contractor.
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On February 6, 2023, a controlled explosion of part of a derailed Norfolk Southern Railroad train sent black smoke billowing into the sky above East Palestine, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jean J. Puskar)
“It took approximately two months for our team to receive those communications. It took two months for those communications to be provided to our team,” Homendy said in a recording provided to Fox News Digital.
“As described in our adopted report, our investigator on Feb. 3 instructed Norfolk Southern to preserve all evidence for the investigation.”
Homendy also alleged that Norfolk Southern mistakenly hired a private company to test for “off-the-shelf” vinyl chloride and other chemicals that had spilled into soil in Ohio and Pennsylvania and then submitted the results to the NTSB.
“These actions not only violated the party agreement but also the rules on evidence gathering,” Homendy said.
“Our investigation is never conducted with the purpose of determining the rights or liabilities of any parties. We gather evidence, evaluate facts and learn lessons with one goal in mind: to prevent the next train derailment and spill of hazardous materials,” she said.
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“[That] That is why I am deeply troubled by the way Norfolk Southern has approached this investigation.”
The chairman also reportedly said that he hoped the agency, which had customarily had railroad officials visit each committee member ahead of the NTSB’s final meeting, would dispel “rumors” that the board had decided to “vent and burn” the PVC.
Homendy called the reported investigation “unethical and improper” and also said railroad officials had implicitly “intimidated” board members by telling them the Biden administration wanted to move the company out of the crisis.
Homendy denied that the administration ever made such an offer.
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“Norfolk Southern Railway’s actions are reprehensible, and I want all who work with the NTSB in its current and future investigations to know that we will not be influenced by anything but the truth,” she said.
However, Norfolk Southern officials strongly denied the NTSB’s allegations.
“Norfolk Southern has always cooperated fully and ethically with the investigation, with complete transparency,” the spokesperson said.
“My communications with NTSB staff and Board members have always been motivated by a desire to ensure they have all the information they need for their independent evaluations and by our shared commitment to improving rail safety.”
Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio told the Associated Press that Homendy’s findings “[ed] My biggest fear.”
“The derailment and subsequent chemical explosion were a preventable tragedy caused by a series of errors made by Norfolk Southern Railway and its contractors.”
