DARLINGTON — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio criticized Norfolk Southern on Friday and renewed calls for the railroad to offer more support to those affected by the 2023 derailment in nearby East Palestine, Ohio. Casey and Deluzio spoke at the Darlington Township Fire Hall, near the site of the 2023 derailment of rail cars, some of which were carrying toxic chemicals.
Deluzio and Casey were in Darlington to announce a $3.66 million Community Funding grant that will facilitate build infrastructure that will allow Darlington residents who want to connect to a public water source through the Beaver Falls Municipal Authority. Currently, Darlington residents do not have access to a public water source, instead relying on private wells, despite concerns about contamination from the derailment.
“This is just beginning of the work we need to continue to do,” in Darlington, Casey said. He pointed to companion rail safety bills that have stalled in the House and Senate despite bipartisan support. “Here we are all these months later, over a year later, and they still haven’t supported that legislation or anything remotely similar to the legislation.”
Norfolk Southern did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
Darlington residents continue to have water problems more than a year after the derailment. Mike Carreon, chairman of the Darlington Township Board of Supervisors, said many still drink bottled water.
On Feb. 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern train carrying about a dozen cars carrying vinyl chloride derailed near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. In the days that followed, local emergency officials vented and burned the vinyl chloride, creating a black cloud of smoke over the area. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded in its final report on the derailment that the evidence showed that venting and burning were unnecessary, even though Norfolk Southern officials at the scene insisted they were.
When burned, vinyl chloride breaks down into carbon monoxide and hydrogen chloride. When mixed with water, the hydrogen chloride forms hydrochloric acid, which is toxic to fish. Authorities estimated that 3,500 fish died in nearby waters within days of venting and burning.
South Norfolk agreed to pay $310 million as part of a settlement with the federal government to pay for Clean Water Act violations and the costs of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s cleanup efforts at the derailment site. In April, the railroad agreed to a $600 million settlement class action lawsuit against residents and entrepreneurs.
The company did not admit any liability, wrongdoing or fault as part of the settlement, which would have ended all class action lawsuits related to the train derailment filed by residents living within a 20-mile radius of the derailment site near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
In the report released in JuneEnvironmental scientists said chemicals released after the train derailment affected 16 states, according to precipitation and pollution data.
The NTSB also accused Norfolk Southern of interfering in the investigation into the train derailment and attempting to influence its outcome, a charge the railroad disputes.
“The NTSB chairman called this behavior dishonest, that they were trying to undermine these investigations,” Deluzio said Friday. “I questioned why; it seems to me that they wanted to get their trains running again at the expense of our health and safety. That’s unacceptable.”
Speaking to reporters after Friday’s presentation, both Democrats also reiterated their support for President Joe Biden. The number of Democrats calling for the president to step down when a nominee is named has grown following Biden’s indigent debate performance and amid questions about his fitness for the job.
“I’ve said it many times,” Casey said in response to a question about why he supports Biden staying in the race.
