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The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, in a preliminary report on the February 3 train derailment in eastern Ohio, said Thursday that the investigation will focus on the response to the accident, including ventilation and burning of vinyl chloride, as well as other rail cars. design and corporate oversight issues.
The agency said it will also review the design and maintenance of railcars, as well as Norfolk Southern Corp.’s use of roadside defect detectors, among other issues.
Overheated wheel bearings will also be a request.
“Surveillance video from a local home shows what appears to be a wheel bearing in the final stages of overheating failure before derailment,” the agency said. “The affected wheel bearings and wheelset have been collected as evidence and will be examined by the NTSB.”
The NTSB issued a preliminary report on Feb. 3. Norfolk Southern freight train derails in East Palestine, Ohio: https://t.co/urnInBf9uH
Investigation: https://t.co/sPOVrteqkW pic. twitter.com/g6EJTxBHTO
The National Transportation Safety Board is scheduled to hold a news conference at 1 pm ET.
The report came as US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited the train wreckage in East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday.
Buttigieg said he would push major railroads to improve safety and called for bipartisan support in Congress to raise fines against railroads for violating safety regulations.
The visit comes after Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Michael Regan visited East Palestine earlier this week.
The EPA ordered the company to pay for the cleanup
US President Joe Biden and his Democratic administration said the company should pay for the damage and cleanup efforts, and the EPA ordered South Norfolk officials to attend a town hall event after executives initially boycotted it.
Norfolk Southern’s chief executive apologized Wednesday in a CNN town hall event that highlighted residents’ concerns about soil and groundwater contamination.
Front burner27:50Fear lingers after Ohio’s toxic train disaster
Weeks after a train derailed and crews released and burned toxic chemicals, officials reassured residents of East Palestine, Ohio that their air and water are safe. However, many residents remain wary of the long-term effects of materials like vinyl chloride, with some reported symptoms like skin and eye irritation and hoarseness. Simultaneously, the political conversation opened up about who or what was to blame for the crash, with critics pointing to a lack of regulation and cost-cutting from the rail giant while posting record profits. Today, see what’s happening on the ground as residents return to East Palestine, and see why rail disasters like this continue to happen more than a decade after the fatal disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec.
Republicans and Democrats in Congress have exchanged accusations after the incident, pointing to a missed opportunity during the administrations of Barack Obama and Donald Trump to implement stricter regulations on the transport of dangerous chemicals, as well as public rail safety requirements.
Trump, who is campaigning for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, visited the region on Wednesday.
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