WASHINGTON, D.C. – January 30, 2024 – Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the hazardous train derailment in East Palestine, today U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) spoke on the Senate floor to recognize the resilience of the town, and continue the fight to hold Norfolk Southern accountable. Since the hazardous Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine on February 3, 2023, Brown has fought to make the community whole, hold the big railroad companies accountable, and prevent another tragic derailment.
“When I think about the East Palestine, I don’t just think about a train derailment. I think about resilience,” said Brown. “The people of East Palestine want the support and the compensation they are owed. But they do not want this derailment to define them. I don’t want that either. And I don’t want any other community in Ohio or around the country to have to deal with a disaster like this ever again.”
Sen. Brown’s remarks as prepared for delivery are below.
Mr./Mdm. President,
I rise today to recognize a town in eastern Ohio – one that most of my colleagues probably didn’t even know existed a year ago.
On February 3rd, 2023, 38 rail cars, from a train spanning one-and-a-half miles, derailed and overturned right outside the center of East Palestine, Ohio.
Flames flared and thick black plumes of smoke billowed into the sky. Toxic chemicals started spewing into the air, the water, and the ground.
We all saw the footage that dominated the news. People read the articles. They scrolled through it on social media.
America watched it. The people of East Palestine lived it.
They had to pack up and evacuate their homes in the middle of the night. They didn’t know if the air they were breathing and the water coming from their faucets was safe. Their lives were turned upside down.
My job is to always, always fight for Ohio. When disaster struck, we got to work: Residents in the surrounding area needed air, water, and soil testing. We secured it. They needed initial health screenings — we made it happen, and we got the CDC to support a free health clinic. They needed answers and help with cleanup – we got it done. Local business owners and farmers and manufacturers needed investment to keep their community alive — we delivered with a loan program through the Department of Agriculture.
Now, the reporters have packed up and the cameras left to chase the next big story. But the people of East Palestine are still there, still trying to move forward.
Over the last year, I’ve visited East Palestine a number of times. Our staff is there even more often. Each time, we ask residents what we can do: They want the contamination cleaned up completely. They want continuous monitoring of the air they breathe, the water they drink, and screenings to see if their long-term health has been impacted. They want assurance that they aren’t going to be hit by a surprise tax bill this season – and we included a provision in the bipartisan tax deal to guarantee that.
We’re fighting for all of it. We’re not giving up. And we’ll keep asking and listening and making sure they get what they need.
As we sat at roundtables at their local businesses, toured the health clinic, and walked through the fields of their family farms, I had the privilege of getting to better know this town and the people who call East Palestine home.
They have a rich history – for decades they manufactured beautiful ceramics in this area and their economy boomed. And like my hometown of Mansfield, when bad trade deals shipped those jobs overseas and the factories closed their doors, the community came together and persevered.
I listened to their family stories, their hopes for their hometown, and their concerns for its future.
In every visit, every conversation, every interaction, I saw determination and heart.
When I think about the East Palestine, I don’t just think about a train derailment. I think about resilience.
I think about the firefighters who were first on the scene the night of the derailment, and despite what they found, have returned to work every day since to serve their community.
I think about the parents who have fought to make sure the town will still be their home – one where their families feel safe.
I think about the business-owners and farmers and manufacturers who are working to resume pre-derailment operations, and I have no doubt that they will.
The people of East Palestine want the support and the compensation they are owed. But they do not want this derailment to define them.
I don’t want that either. And I don’t want any other community in Ohio or around the country to have to deal with a disaster like this ever again.
Make no mistake: this derailment was preventable.
The train barreled past sensors that raised the alarm, but Norfolk Southern didn’t tell the crew to stop.
The company is known to rush safety inspections — inspections that could help spare communities from disaster.
Norfolk Southern laid off a third of their workers in the last decade. Now they’re trying to take even more crew members off trains — trains that can be miles long and carry dangerous chemicals.
It paints a picture of a company culture obsessed with profits at the expense of safety and the communities their trains pass through.
It’s the Wall Street business model: cut costs to boost your stock price, cash out millions in executive bonuses, and dole out eye-popping stock buybacks — the people of East Palestine be damned.
We aren’t letting Norfolk Southern get away with it again. We aren’t going to let them dismiss another vibrant, heartland town as collateral damage. We must make sure it doesn’t happen again.
One month after the derailment, Senator Vance and I teamed up to introduce the bipartisan Railway Safety Act — to hold the big rail companies accountable, and stop a disaster like this from ever happening again.
I spent last year advocating for rail safety across Ohio in cities and towns that have been impacted by train derailments. It’s not just East Palestine –Steubenville, Sandusky, Springfield Ravenna, Massillon, and more all had Norfolk Southern derailments within a year of the East Palestine crash.
Each one of these communities is another reason why we must get this commonsense bill across the finish line and hold Norfolk Southern accountable.
After the derailments in Sandusky and Springfield, Norfolk Southern refused to pay what they owe. When local leaders came to us, we demanded Norfolk Southern make their payments – and they did.
That’s how I’ve always approached this job — I listen to the people I serve.
Here’s my message to the people of East Palestine, and to every single Ohioan — from Cincinnati to Ashtabula, from Toledo to Athens, and everywhere in between:
I will always fight for Ohio. Every. Single. Time.
When disaster strikes, we show up. We find ways to make sure every community gets what they need. And we fight to make sure these tragedies never happen again.
As I’ve told the people of East Palestine — and as I keep telling them: I’m here for the long haul. I will always fight for the people of East Palestine. I will always fight to hold Norfolk Southern accountable. And I will always fight to make our railways safer.