CNN town hall on toxic train disaster in East Palestine, Ohio: Live updates | CNN (2024)

Residents participate in a town hall on the disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, in New York City on February 22.

Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, asked their questions directly to officials during a CNN town hall — but were left with mixed feelings about the future of their town after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed earlier this month.

“I don’t believe what they’resaying,” said resident Nene Stewart.

Jessica Conard, who is a lifelong resident of the town, warned other communities in Ohio and beyond.

Andris Baltputnis, however, had a more optimistic view, saying, “I was veryencouraged. Everything was inthe positive direction and I think good things are on the horizon.”

“I feel confident to bet on ourselves. I think that’s what I took today, we have the one opportunity in our life to rewrite the greatest comeback story in American history and we have the pen. So, if we’re betting on us, I’m happy it’s East Palestine residents that get it,” said DJ Yokley, another resident and small business owner.

Here are the other key moments from the town hall:

DJ Yokley speaks during a town hall on the disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, in New York City on February 22.

As Wednesday’s CNN town hall wrapped up, residents of East Palestine gave their final thoughts to CNN’s Jake Tapper.

DJ Yokley, who was outspoken on small businesses and raising children in the village, said the residents of East Palestine now have a chance to participate in a great recovery story after the train derailment earlier this month.

He added: “If we’re betting on us, I’m happy it’s East Palestine residents that get it.”

Alan Shaw speaks during a town hall, in East Palestine, Ohio on February 22.

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw declined to answer questions regarding the ongoing National Transportation Safety Board investigation or details relating to what caused the train derailment.

He said he is looking forward to the investigation’s findings.

Jim Stewart, right, speaks to Alan Shaw during a town hall on February 22.

Jim Stewart, who has lived in East Palestine, Ohio, for 65 years, said he no longer feels safe in his town after the train derailment earlier this month.

“I’m angry about this,” he told Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw.

He said he lives very close to the derailment site and although there has been testing of the air quality around his property he said he is “afraid to put my dog out just to pee.”

Stewart said he feels a sense of loss and he worries about the value of his home and his ability to retire in the coming years.

“Did you shorten my life, now?I want to retire and enjoy it.How are we gonna enjoy it?You burned me,” he said. He talked about the uncertainty of if it is safe to do things around his home, from mowing the grass to planting vegetables.

In response, Shaw said he is going to “make it right” by cleaning up the chemicals, reimbursing residents and making investments to improve the safety of trains.

Watch:

Video Ad Feedback

693648b7-6950-4b87-9b54-a7a61146bd55.mp4

04:41 - Source: CNN

Alan Shaw speaks to reporters in East Palestine, Ohio on Tuesday, February 21.

See Also

East Palestine, After the CrashBiden accepts mayor's invitation to visit East Palestine, Ohio, a year after train derailmentWATCH: Biden visits East Palestine, Ohio, one year after deadly train derailmentNTSB chair says Norfolk Southern interfered with derailment probe after botching vent-and-burn call

Since the train derailment earlier this month, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw said the company has already implemented new safety measures to prevent future incidents.

Shaw said that “in the immediate aftermath,” the company has tested and calibrated wayside detectors across its system and said it will continue to do so.

When asked by a resident if safety measures would be made public, Shaw said “it is an internal component to Norfolk Southern.”

Another resident pushed back, asking “don’t you think people would want to see that happening?”

Shaw answered, saying the company “can certainly take videos” of new safety measures being implemented and post them.

Alan Shaw speaks during a town hall in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 22.

Alan Shaw, Norfolk Southern CEO, said the company plans to take a series of measures moving forward to minimize the long-term impacts of chemicals on the land and groundwater, including ripping up the tracks where the train derailed and removing soil underneath.

He said “we’ve exited the emergency phase” and are now working with the Environmental Protection Agency on a “long-term remediation plan.”

Initially, Shaw said they felt like they had an “environmentally sound plan based on engineering principles” to deal with the soil where the chemicals spilled, but after pushback from the community, Norfolk Southern decided to remove the tracks completely.

He said this effort is expected to start at the beginning of March.

Shaw said they will also continue to monitor testing from various agencies and contractors and are setting up groundwater testing in and around the site.

Alan Shaw, first from left, apologizes to East Palestine residents during a town hall, in East Palestine, Ohio on February 22.

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw apologized to East Palestine residents for the train derailment disaster.

He said the company is going to review the results of the NTSB’s investigation as well as using data to “figure out what we could’ve done better.”

Mayor Trent Conaway answers to questions during a town hall, in East Palestine, Ohio on February 22.

East Palestine, Ohio, Mayor Trent Conaway is calling for answers to ease fears in the community following the derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals.

“There’s a lot of fears in town,” especially from people who live close to the train tracks where the crash happened, he said.

He said he is cautiously optimistic that the community will bounce back, pointing to assurances from officials and experts.

While he said he understands the hesitation of East Palestine, Ohio, residents to bring their families back to their homes, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan said he would raise his children in the community.

“Yes, I would based on theevidence that we have,” he said in response to a question from town resident DJ Yokley, who asked if Regan would feel safe raising his kids in East Palestine.

Regan laid out various types of air monitoring the EPA has been doing around the site where a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed. This includes an airplane, a mobile van moving in and out of the area and several air quality monitors placed “strategically all around the community.”

He said his agency has tested the air quality inside more than 550 home and are working with state officials to test the water.

Michael Regan answers to questions during a town hall on February 22.

Norfolk Southern has been ordered by the Environmental Protection Agency to fully clean up its toxic train wreck and pay for the fallout in East Palestine, Ohio.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan told CNN Wednesday the company will take care of the incident “in a very prescribed manner on a specific timeframe.”

Here’s what that looks like:

“There are a lot of incentives built in here, in this order, to compel the company to clean up their mess,” he said.

DJ Yokley speaks during a town hall on the disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, in New York City on February 22.

Ohio’s governor said he is working with federal officials to see what assistance they can provide to help small businesses in East Palestine, Ohio, recover after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in the town.

DJ Yokley, a small business owner in East Palestine, Ohio, pressed Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on the issue saying businesses were “affected overnight.”

Yokley, who is the founder and CEO of Your Sports Network, told the governor that businesses need a plan to “be open at full capacity.”

DeWine said he talked to President Joe Biden about what to do to assist small businesses, but there wasn’t a concrete solution.

“It’s not going to happen overnight,” DeWine said.

Yokley responded to DeWine saying he understands the cleanup will not be a quick turnaround.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he will tell the residents of East Palestine “the best information” regarding the incident in an attempt to alleviate their skepticism.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he would stay in East Palestine, Ohio, overnight until the clean up is done.

Resident Ben Ratner pressed the governor about having been to the site of the toxic train derailment for only a few hours at a time, DeWine was insistent he felt it was safe to stay in the area overnight.

Many people who live in the area have been anxious about returning to their homes and the potential long-term effects on the air and water, though experts have said assessments have come back normal so far.

Here’s how the exchange played out:

Courtney Newman speaks during a town hall on the disaster in East Palestine, Ohio on February 22.

Courtney Newman, a mother and teacher in East Palestine, Ohio, said she has been having some health issues after returning to her home after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed her house.

She said she lives a street away from the crash site. Her family was evacuated, but once that order was lifted and she came back to her house, she noticed that her son had been getting bloody noses every day. Newman said she was also seeing rashes on herself.

Newman said doctors told her they were “in the dark as much as you are.”

Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. BruceVanderhoff acknowledged that dealing with potential toxic exposures “may not be in the wheelhouse” of many physicians.

He said if anyone feels like they are not able to get the evaluation they feel they need, the state is making additional resources available. Patients can ask their doctor to call the county Health Department to get connected to toxicologists who can provide expert advice, according to Vanderhoff.

The Health Department also set up a clinic to help residents who may not have a doctor or just need additional support, he said.

FOR CONTEXT: CNN is sharing the stories of Ohio residents who tell us their health has been impacted by the Norfolk Southern train derailment. From a medical perspective, definitively linking chemicals to health effects – such as a rash, headache or nausea – is challenging. In some cases, it could take years to establish a definitive connection, or it turn out that one does not exist.

Mike DeWine speaks during a town hall on Wednesday, February 22.

Nene Stewart, an East Palestine resident, is relying on water bottles because she still is unsure about the safety of her home’s water.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, municipal water sample results in the city have shown “no water quality concerns.”

DeWine told Stewart that “we’ve been very careful not to tell anybody it’s OK until we have evidence that it is okay.”

He said officials advised residents not to use village water or water from an individually-owned well.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine assured residents of East Palestine, Ohio, that state officials and other experts intend to stay in the town until the toxic chemicals from a train derailment earlier this month are cleaned up.

The governor said he is making a commitment to those who live there and that officials are going to do “everything we can so that you have a great future and your children have a great future.”

Work crews and contractors remove and dispose of wreckage from a Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, US, on Monday, February 20.

A fiery train wreck that released toxic materials in an Ohio town is raising new questions in the halls of the nation’s capital over the regulation of the rail industry and if stricter measures could have prevented the disaster.

News of the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio – and its potentially harmful effects on the environment and health of local residents – has propelled both Democrats and Republicans in Congress to press the Biden administration on whether there’s enough oversight to keep rail workers and communities near railroads safe. And the supervising agency broadly responsible for regulating rail safety, the Department of Transportation, is calling on Congress to make it easier to institute safety reforms.

This rare, general bipartisan agreement about taking action in the wake of the derailment follows years of Republicans generally supporting deregulation of the rail industry, including with the broadrollback of transportation rulesduring the Trump administration.

Experts point out several areas of opportunity to enhance rail safety and hold rail companies further accountable: updating trains’ braking systems, shortening the lengths of freight trains, further separating cars with hazardous material, requiring more crew members to be on board and increasing penalties.

Many of these proposals, experts say, have been around for decades, and have oftentimes been diminished or entirely eliminated after rail lobbying efforts. Data compiled by the nonprofit OpenSecrets show that Norfolk Southern, the company involved in the Ohio derailment,spent $1.8 million on federal lobbying last year.

Bipartisan efforts in Congress: Congressional committees are set to review the environmental and safety impacts of the East Palestine derailment. Although efforts to enhance regulatory oversight of the rail industry have generally broken along party lines, some Republicans and Democrats appear to be moving in the same direction.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves, a Missouri Republican, scheduled a bipartisan briefing for members of the committee last week.

Read more here

Portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train is seen on fire in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 4.

The CEO of Norfolk Southern, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine are participating in tonight’s CNN town hall.

For weeks, residents have reporteda variety of health problemssince the Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in early February, spewing black clouds of smoke over the community of about 5,000 people in eastern Ohio.

To help prevent a deadly explosion of vinyl chloride, crewsreleased the toxic chemical into a trench and burned it off.

Earlier on Wednesday, EPA Administrator Michael Regan threatened expensive consequences if Norfolk Southern fails to fully clean up its toxic train wreck and pay for the fallout in East Palestine.

While the EPA says testing shows the air and municipal water are safe, Regan said those with symptoms they believe might be linked to the wreck should “seek medical attention.”

Those residents should “ensure that the state and local health agencies understand those experiences because as we force Norfolk Southern to take full accountability for what they’ve done, Norfolk Southern will pay for everything,” Regan said.

CNN’s Nouran Salahieh,Holly YanandClaire Colbert contributed reporting to this post.

A Senate hearing on the toxic train derailment and cleanup inEast Palestine, Ohio, is expected to be held in early March, two Senate sources familiar with the plan told CNN.

In addition to health and safety concerns, the hearing is expected to focus on the timeline of state and federal Environmental Protection Agency response to the incident, one source told CNN.

Last week, Sens. Tom Carper of Delaware and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginiaannounced they would hold a hearing on the derailment without setting a date. Carper, a Democrat, is chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee and Capito, a Republican, is a ranking member of the committee.

Carper and Capito said in a statement the hearing would “examine the local, state and federal response in the immediate aftermath of the train derailment and the ongoing efforts to clean up toxic chemicals in the surrounding environment.”

Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, left, speaks during a news conference in East Palestine, Ohio, US, on Tuesday, February 21.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro alleged Tuesday that Norfolk Southern gave inaccurate information and conflicting data to government officials in regard to the Ohio train derailment that occurred earlier this month.

He said he has “serious concerns” with Norfolk Southern’s “failed management of this crisis” at a Tuesday afternoon news conference inEastPalestine, Ohio.

He said he will hold the company accountable for its actions.

When asked what non-financial actions are being taken against the company for the incident, Shapiro said his state’s department of environmental protection has made a “criminal referral” to the attorney general’s office.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said his attorney general is reviewing the possible legal action against Norfolk Southern as well on Tuesday.

“The Ohio attorney general will take whatever action that Ohio law allows him to take,” DeWine said after Shapiro spoke. “And I know he’s reviewing this right now.”

Alan Shaw speaks to reporters near the site where a freight train derailed, in East Palestine, Ohio on Tuesday, February 21.

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw, who is scheduled to take part in Wednesday’s CNN town hall, defended his company’s actions since the disaster caused by the derailment of one of its trains in East Palestine, Ohio, and promised the railroad will pay for the cleanup.

Shaw said the company has already paid out $6.5 million to citizens living near the site of thederailment that took place February 3. Shaw said the railroad has been in agreement with the actions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local efforts on the ground in East Palestine since the train derailment.

Shaw said Norfolk Southern has been coordinating with the Ohio EPA and local officials and, so far, has been very present in the community since the February 3 accident. He said he first came to East Palestine in the immediate aftermath of the accident and visited a family assistance center that the company put in place, where he checked in on residents, making sure they had everything that they needed.

In this April 2022 photo, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development in Washington, DC.

Transportation SecretaryPete Buttigiegwill visit the site of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday.

The secretary has come under intense pressure from East Palestine residents and other critics to visit the town in the wake of the February 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train that released toxic chemicals.

He told reporters earlier this week that he would visit “when the time is right” but was deferring to the National Transportation Safety Board and its investigation first. An administration official told CNN that the time is now appropriate for Buttigieg to go to East Palestine.

In response to criticism, Buttigieg said in an interview on CBS News’ “Red and Blue” that he “could have spoken out sooner” about the incident, and that it was a “lesson learned.”

He said he has been “respecting the role that the independent NTSB plays and staying out of their way” but does plan to visit East Palestine where he will be “focused on action, not on politics, not on show.”

Mike DeWine and Michael Regan visiting the home ofresident Carolyn Brown on Tuesday, February 21.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and EPA administrator Michael Regan visited the homes ofEastPalestineresidents on Tuesday to listen to their concerns and conduct air quality tests. The visit comes after municipal water sample results in the city showed “no water quality concerns,” according to the EPA.

The officials first visited resident Carolyn Brown’s home, where they poured two glasses of water from her tap and took a sip.

During the visit, Regan promised transparency, saying that “we will continue to show up.”

They then went to the home ofEastPalestineresident Andris Baltputnis, a former chemistry teacher. Again, they drank water from his tap.

The resident said assurance and reassurance in the community are good, and he “couldn’t hardly ask for anything more.”

The officials performed an air quality reading at Baltputnis’ home, showing the reading for the toxins in the air as zero.

Booms are placed in a stream that flows through the center of East Palestine, Ohio, on Wednesday, February 15, as cleanup continues following the derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train over a week ago.

CNN answers six key questions on the derailment of the train carrying hazardous material earlier in February:

Why are hazardous materials transported by train?

This is in large part because railroads are considered the safest mode of transportation to carry large amounts of hazardous materials, including chemicals, for long distances across the country, according to theFederal Railroad Administration. America’s freight trains moved 2.2 million carloads of chemicals in 2021,according to theAssociation of American Railroads.

How often does this kind of incident happen?

Federal Rail Administration data provided to CNN showed 149 incidents where hazardous materials were released from moving trains over the past decade. It’s important to note the federal data is being self-reported by train companies, making it tough to verify all the information is accurate.

How do officials measure the damage and impact?

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency officials have been conducting air, soil and water tests since the controlled explosion of the chemicals inside the rail cars.

The EPA said Tuesday there were chemicals spilled into the local waterways that lead to the Ohio River, but that much of it was contained. An initial plume of chemicals that was spilled into the waterway had made it to the Ohio River, but officials said they exist in very low concentration, and they are working with water facilities on enhanced filtration so they are not passed onto water customers.

That said, EPA and Ohio state officials urged residents in East Palestine to continue to drink bottled water for now.

If animals are dying, what does that mean for humans?

The chemical spill took a severe toll on local aquatic life: About 3,500 fish ranging across 12 species died from the water contamination washing down streams and rivers. Anecdotal reports of pets and chickens dying have not yet been confirmed by officials. Mary Mertz, the director of Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources, said Tuesday there’s no evidence that non-aquatic species have been affected by the spill.

What goes into cleaning up?

Ohio EPA and state officials have done several different things to try to contain pollution from the chemical spill.

What are the possible long-term impacts?

In addition to the chemicals officials say should break down with aeration and water treatment, environmental officials also need to test for PFAS –a long-lastingand potentially more worrying class of chemicals used to put out chemical fires. PFAS is typically found on non-stick pans and in some firefighting foams.

Read more details here.

Top officials from the state ofOhio,Norfolk Southernand theEnvironmental Protection Agencywill take part inCNN’stownhallWednesdaynight.

OhioGov. Mike DeWine,EPA AdministratorMichael Regan and Alan Shaw, theCEOofNorfolkSouthern,are all settotake part in thetownhall, which airs at 9 p.m. ET and will be moderated by Jake Tapper.

Additionally, several local and state officials, including Anne Vogel, director of theOhioEPAand Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the director of theOhio Department of Health.

This post has been updated with the latest details on those who will take part in the town hall.

A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains on Monday, February 6.

A Norfolk Southern train with more than 100 cars derailed inEast Palestine, Ohio, on February 3, sparking a massive fire and prompting evacuation orders.

There were 20 cars with hazardous material in the train – 10 of which derailed. Five of the tankers were carrying liquid vinyl chloride, which is extremely combustible.

The wreckage burned for days in the town, which is located about 15 miles south of Youngstown, as authorities worried about the possibility of a widespread, deadly explosion. But crews managed controlled detonations to release the chemical, which can kill quickly at high levels and increase cancer risk. The hazardous substance spilled into a trench, where it was burned away.

Officials issued a shelter-in-place order for the entire town of roughly 5,000 people, while the evacuation order was in effect for days for those within a mile of the train incident.

Authorities have since assured residents that any immediate danger has passed as they lifted the evacuation order for those living in East Palestine. Real-time air readings, which use handheld instruments to broadly screen for classes of contaminants like volatile organic compounds, showed the air quality near the site was within normal limits.

Still, people who live in East Palestine want to know about the chemical threats that may linger. Some residents havereported health problems, andabout 3,500 fish have died in Ohio waterwayssince the wreck.

Officials are investigating the incident’s cause as site cleanup and monitoring could take years, according to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. A source familiar with the investigation tells CNN the NTSB will issue its initial findings on Thursday.

Approximately 15 cars remain at the derailment site, where they are on an NTSB hold, according to Connor Spielmaker, a spokesperson for Norfolk Southern.

Ohio officials say the soil under the tracks is still contaminated and that the tracks will eventually be lifted to remove that soil. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is aware of the contaminated soil, and according to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, 4,588 cubic yards of soil and 1.1 million gallons of contaminated water have been removed thus far.

Roughly 21 miles before it derailed, a Norfolk Southern train slowed down dramatically after showing the first signs of potential wheel bearing overheat, according to a CNN analysis of surveillance video and documents from the Department of Transportation.

The train had been traveling at an average speed of 49 mph between Alliance, Ohio and Salem, Ohio. It took 16 minutes for the train to travel 13 miles.

In Alliance, surveillance video did not show any signs of overheat. However, in Salem, surveillance video showed bright lights and sparks emanating from the train’s wheelset — the signs of a potential wheel bearing overheat.

Between Salem and East Palestine, the train slowed dramatically, averaging a speed of just 29 mph until it derailed. It took 44 minutes for the train to travel about 21 miles.

Documents filed in 2020 with the Federal Railroad Authority give context to the abnormality of that slowdown.The “typical speed range” for a train traveling along this stretch of track is between 40 and 60 miles per hour.

The revelation that the train’s average speed decreased by around 20 mph in the roughly 40 minutes before it derailed draws more questions about whether the train’s crew was alerted to any potential issues — like a wheel-bearing overheat.

Norfolk Southern, like all railroad companies, utilizes hot box detectors to alert train crews and dispatchers of overheat issues. An online database of hot box detectors radio recordings, compiled and maintained by radio and rail enthusiasts, indicates Norfolk Southern has a hot box detector in Salem, just past where surveillance video captured the train’s apparent wheel bearing overheat.

The company also has two other hot box detectors on the line, one in Colombiana, Ohio, and in East Palestine.

CNN was able to calculate the average speed of the train by utilizing surveillance video time stamps that showed the train’s positions at specific points on the track.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it is investigating surveillance video that may show “what appears to be a wheel bearing in the final stage of overheat failure moments before the derailment.” Jennifer Gabris, a NTSB spokesperson, told CNN that “this information will be part of the preliminary report that will be released [Thursday] at 10 a.m.”

Michael Regan, administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, speaks during a news conference in East Palestine, Ohio, on Tuesday.

Michael Regan, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, said Tuesday the agency will supportEastPalestineas it enters a cleanup phase,and will continueto hold Norfolk Southern accountable for its actions.

Using EPA’s legal authorities, Regan said he ordered Norfolk Southern to clean up all contaminated soil and water and safely transport that contamination to the appropriate locations.

That work will be done to EPA specifications, Regan added, and said Norfolk Southern will reimburse EPA for cleaning services. He said he is also ordering Norfolk Southern to attend and participate in public meetings and share information with the public.

If Norfolk Southern fails to complete any action ordered by the EPA, the agency will conduct the work itself and then force Norfolk Southern to pay triple in cost, Regan said.

Regan added he has “absolute confidence” in the agency’s air and water quality testing data.

Michael S. Regan speaks during an interview in East Palestine, Ohio, US, on February 16.

State and federal officials held a news conference last week in East Palestine, Ohio, as residents expressed frustrationabout the response to a train carrying potentially deadly materials that derailed in their hometown nearly three weeks ago.

Michael S. Regan, the head of the US Environmental Protection Agency, aimed to reassure residents that authorities are focused on keeping them safe.

Regan arrived in East Palestine on February 16 to assess the ongoing response.

The evacuation order issued after a days-long blaze was lifted on February 8 after air and water samples led officials to deem the area safe.

The agency has full authority to use its enforcement capabilities over the crisis and it will stay there “as long as it takes” to ensure the community’s safety, he added.