Norfolk Southern CEO to say he is ‘deeply sorry’ for impact of derailment in East Palestine

The CEO of Norfolk Southern on Tuesday will tell the Senate in a hearing that he’s “deeply sorry” for the impact of last month’s train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

“I am deeply sorry for the impact this derailment has had on the people of East Palestine and surrounding communities, and I am determined to make it right,” rail CEO Alan Shaw said in a statement prepared ahead of the hearing. 

On Feb. 3, a Norfolk Southern train carrying the toxic chemical vinyl chloride derailed in East Palestine, leaking chemicals into the local land and water. The incident sparked environmental and health concerns for the local community and has led to a broader discussion about railway safety.

Shaw is scheduled to appear before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on Thursday morning along with federal and state Environmental Protection Agency officials, the executive director of the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission and the director of a local emergency services department. 

According to Shaw’s prepared remarks, the company will commit $20 million to help the local community recover from the impact of the derailment and chemical spill. 

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), the chairman of the Senate EPW committee, told CNBC that he wants to use the hearing to “make sure that Norfolk Southern is doing what they need to do to make this right.”

“What did they do well? What did they do badly? What are they doing to address things that they botched? What are they doing since the incident occurred in order to make people feel cared for, cared about?” Carper asked. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.