'You burned me:' Norfolk Southern CEO blasted by East Palestine residents in CNN town hall


Monroe Trombly, The Columbus Dispatch
Wed, February 22, 2023

A group of East Palestine residents on Wednesday evening took the president and CEO of railroad giant Norfolk Southern to task on live television nearly three weeks after one of the company's trains derailed in their town and spilled toxic chemicals.

Participating in a CNN town hall, the residents, in particular, expressed outrage at Norfolk Southern's swift action to install new train tracks without removing contaminated soil underneath them.

Alan Shaw, who became CEO of Norfolk Southern in May of last year, said the tracks would be torn up and the soil removed early next month.

"So until then we'll just have it keep going down," said Jessica Conrad, who said her ancestors had helped build the town of nearly 5,000 residents.

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw answers questions during an interview near the site of the company's train derailment, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio.

When asked by CNN anchor Jake Tapper whether it was true the 141-car train that derailed on Feb. 3 near the Pennsylvania border only had three workers on it, Shaw said he was prohibited from talking about what may have caused the train to hop its tracks until the National Transportation Safety Board completes its investigation, the initial report of which is expected to be released Thursday. Federal investigators have said a mechanical issue with a rail car axle caused the derailment.


Some of the sharpest criticism for Shaw came from Jim Stewart, who said he has lived in East Palestine for 65 years and is close to retiring. Since the derailment, he said he has developed a slight cough and has a rash on his cheeks.

"Did you shorten my life now? I want to retire and enjoy it. How are we going to enjoy it?" he asked Shaw.

"You burned me."

Here's what else happened during the town hall event:

Residents say physicians, pediatricians at loss for what to do

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan, Ohio EPA Director Anne Vogel and Ohio Department of Health Director Bruce Vanderhoff also appeared and took questions during the town hall.

Seven East Palestine residents joined Tapper in a studio, while others joined remotely from the gymnasium of First Church of Christ, where a free medical clinic opened Tuesday. Since the derailment, residents have complained about headaches, irritated eyes and other ailments.

Courtney Newman said her son has developed bloody noses. But when she took him to a pediatrician last week, Newman said she was told by officials there that "they had no guidance from the CDC, the health department, there was nothing they could do. I asked if they could do bloodwork and they said no."

Vanderhoff said some physicians may not be equipped to diagnose or handle toxic exposures.

Feb 21, 2023; East Palestine, Ohio, USA; Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tours the health clinic with Wes Vins of the Columbiana County General Health District. Work continues to clean up the vinyl chloride chemical spill from the Norfolk Southern train derailment on Feb. 3. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

He encouraged Newman and others to call the Columbiana County Health Department, which he said can connect them with toxicologists.

Vanderhoff said the chemicals spilled in the derailment do not stay in blood very long. "However, every case is unique," he added. "Every case deserves a throughout examination."
DeWine says he's looking at ways to help small businesses

When asked Wednesday what he'll do to help small businesses get back on their feet, DeWine said: "I'm not sure what we can do but we'll certainly look at that and see if there's anything certainly we can do."

Ben Ratner, a cafe owner living in East Palestine, asked DeWine if he would stay in the town for a period of time. "Yeah, I'll stay overnight," DeWine said.

Monroe Trombly covers the workplace and environmental issues for The Columbus Dispatch.
mtrombly@dispatch.com
@monroetrombly
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Norfolk Southern CEO fields questions from East Palestine residents