HARRISBURG, Pa. — As the toxic chemical fallout from the Feb. 3 train derailment in eastern Ohio starts to settle, the political fallout has just begun.
Federal and state legislators were quick to criticize the emergency response.
All four senators from Pennsylvania and Ohio—Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)—released letters to the EPA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) calling for more details of the investigation into the derailment and further analysis of railroad safety practices.
Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) said in a statement:
“It’s thoroughly unacceptable that train derailments are increasing while Transportation Secretary Buttigieg and President Biden remain asleep at the switch. I’ll continue to do everything I can as a Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to ensure proper investigation and oversight into railroad safety translates into meaningful and sustainable improvements.”
Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) released a letter Tuesday accusing Norfolk Southern of acting unilaterally and refusing to cooperate with government emergency teams.
Pennsylvania Senate Republicans shared a letter from State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Adams) that called for greater transparency about the scope of the environmental damage.
The derailment and its aftermath could lead to more safety regulations.
Gov. Shapiro included in his letter a recommendation that the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) should reexamine the definition and regulations of high-hazard flammable trains.
The four senators from Pennsylvania and Ohio suggested they would consider future train safety legislation in their letter to the NTSD:
“We will use NTSD’s findings and any pertinent safety recommendations to advance measures that Congress and the U.S. Department of Transportation can implement to prevent derailments involving hazardous materials.”
Meanwhile, the derailment has forced Central Pennsylvanians to consider train safety near their homes. The Harrisburg area alone has three major train yards: the Harrisburg Yard, Enola Yard and Rutherford Yard.
“I’ve never given that a thought—derailments. I don’t think we’ve had too many down there because it’s so straight and they come in slow. I guess that’s why I don’t worry about it too much,” said Deb G., who lives a few blocks away from the Enola Yard.
One East Pennsboro Township official, John Bruetsch, lives right next to a rail bridge straddling the Susquehanna River. He says he is confident in the township’s emergency plans.
“We have evacuation plans in the township in place, depending on what it is, how far we have to evacuate,” he said.
The issue with outlining a specific plan is that freight trains can carry any one of thousands of different substances, many of them flammable or toxic.
“You plan and practice as much as you can, and then you just hope to God it never happens here,” Bruetsch said.