The CEO of Norfolk Southern, the railroad company that operates the train that suffered a catastrophic derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, has released an open letter to affected residents, assuring them: “We will not be walking away.”
It came less than a day after company officials made a last-minute decision not to attend a local town hall meeting, citing security concerns about their physical safety.
The open letter was met with outrage on Twitter, and users were quick to accuse CEO Alan Shaw of hypocrisy. “You really should have shown up and faced people. A true coward’s response,” wrote one.
Others refuted the letter, which was intended to comfort residents of eastern Palestine, citing allegations that the company had operated in violation of laws that could have prevented the February 3 accident.
“They’ve been fighting safety changes and regulations for years – just hoping the PR nightmare goes away sooner or later,” wrote another.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has published an open letter to residents of eastern Palestine in Ohio, where a company train derailed earlier this month
Referring to a visit he made to the village last week, he tells them, “We’re not going away.”
People were quick to accuse CEO Alan Shaw of hypocrisy after he said, “We’re not going away.”
For weeks, people in eastern Palestine have wondered how the derailment and subsequent controlled explosion of toxic chemicals on their doorstep would affect their lives.
First, they were asked to leave their homes. Days later, they witnessed the explosion at the crash site, which sent plumes of black smoke into the air. Afterward, they found their water was contaminated and wildlife was dying.
Then the icing on the cake: On Wednesday evening, company officials did not show up for the town hall meeting in East Palestine because of a “growing physical threat to our employees”.
“I know you also have questions about whether Norfolk Southern will be here to make things right,” Shaw told the nearly 2,000 residents in a letter sent Thursday.
“My simple answer is that we are here and we will remain here for as long as is necessary to ensure your safety and to help East Palestine recover and prosper,” he added.
One person responded directly to the letter posted by the Norfolk Southern company’s Twitter account: They didn’t even show up at the residents’ town hall.
“You have repeatedly campaigned to crush safety regulations, fired a large percentage of your employees, refused to give the rest of your workforce sick leave, and spent billions of dollars on stock buybacks. You have lost all credibility.’
Some responded to Shaw’s letter with allegations that the company under his oversight had been fighting rules that could have prevented the derailment
Another Twitter user attacked the CEO for hiring staff and denying him sick leave
Shaw, in the letter, refers to a visit he made to the village last week, telling them: “When I was visiting East Palestine last week, you told me how the train derailment turned your life upside down.”
He managed to maintain an exceptionally low profile during this visit, as it is the first time his on-site presence has been confirmed. It is unclear whether he is still there.
The CEO acknowledged that people wanted reassurances that the security of their “air, water and land” was being addressed. ‘I hear you. We hear you,’ he said.
Although company executives were not present to engage with local residents a day earlier, he reassured them that Norfolk Southern is fulfilling its duties.
Shaw wrote: “Our work is in progress. The crews clean the site thoroughly, responsibly and safely. Our Family Assistance Center helps community members meet immediate needs.
“Together with local health authorities, we have implemented an extensive testing program to ensure water, air and soil safety in eastern Palestine. And we’ve established a $1 million community support fund as a down payment on our commitment to help rebuild.’
The 150-car train that derailed in Ohio, causing a fire and spilling toxic chemicals
Shaw assured locals that the cleanup was “underway” and that East Palestine was “blossoming” again
The company has announced it will set up a $1 million fund to help residents of eastern Palestine while continuing clean-up work and expanding the number of residents who can have their evacuation costs reimbursed.
Shaw was last seen in public just days before the train laden with toxic chemicals overturned in eastern Palestine, just a few hundred miles away in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Sharing a photo of himself in a yellow vest with fellow railroad workers on LinkedIn, he wrote, “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the best part of my job is being on the field!”
He has only released a statement since then, promising to help clean up the pollutants from the train derailment and pledging to provide a refund to residents who were forced to evacuate, as officials gave a “controlled burn” rating of five wagons loaded with vinyl chloride.
“We will be measured by our actions,” he said in the statement.
“We are cleaning up the site in an environmentally responsible manner, compensating residents affected by the derailment and working with members of the community to determine what is needed to help East Palestine recover and thrive.”
But when representatives from the company were due to answer questions from community members on Wednesday night, they abruptly decided not to attend.
Residents flocked to a town hall meeting in eastern Palestine to demand answers from the Norfolk Southern rail company – which did not send a representative for fears for their safety
Angry locals demand answers about what’s happening in their town
Trent Conaway, the mayor of eastern Palestine is pictured Wednesday night updating his city on the train derailment
Just hours before the meeting, Norfolk Southern released a statement saying they “hope to join local, state and federal officials at a town hall to update the East Palestinian community on the steps we are taking to thoroughly, to responsibly and safely clean up the scene of an accident and to provide the latest results from ongoing water and air tests.
“We also wanted to be available to provide information about resources at our Family Assistance Center.
“At the same time, we know that many are rightly angry and frustrated at the moment. Unfortunately, after consulting with community leaders, we are increasingly concerned about the growing physical threat to our staff and community members related to this event, resulting from the increased likelihood of outsider attendance.
“In light of this, Norfolk Southern will not be present tonight. We want to continue our dialogue with the community and address their concerns, and our people will remain in East Palestine, responding to this situation and meeting with residents.
“We’re not going anywhere. We are committed to East Palestine and will continue to respond to return-home and health-related questions through our Family Assistance Center and Citizen Hotline.
Mayor Trent Conaway told residents at Wednesday night’s meeting that he speaks with Norfolk Southern officials every day.
“They worked with us,” he said. ‘They should. It’s you who screwed this up. By God we’re going to get some answers for the people.’
The train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio on February 3
Machines lined the railroad tracks Tuesday as clean-up efforts continued
A worker is pictured February 9 at a cleanup site in eastern Palestine, Ohio
In a statement to , a spokeswoman for the rail operator touted its efforts in eastern Palestine, saying it had already distributed over $1.5 million in direct financial assistance to more than 1,000 families and a number of businesses to help meet the cost of the evacuation cover up.
It also reimburses the East Palestine Fire Department $220,000 to replace self-contained breathing apparatus and provides more than 100 air purifiers for residents to use in their homes.
The company also announced Tuesday that it is creating a $1 million fund to help the community of about 4,700 people and will expand the number of residents who can receive evacuation reimbursement.
And speaking to WFMJ on Wednesday, Norfolk Southern senior director Will Harden – who appears to be on the ground – said the company’s officials will remain in eastern Palestine until the cleanup is complete.
But when asked about the long-term health concerns, Harden deflected the question, saying only that the company is in the recovery phase and is working with local, state, and federal agencies.
The state Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday the latest tests show water from five wells that provide the village’s drinking water is free of contaminants.
Still, the EPA recommends testing for residential water wells because they are closer to the surface.
And the Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimates the spill affected more than seven miles of streams and killed about 3,500 fish, mostly small ones like minnows and darters.
Officials carried out a “controlled explosion” of trains carrying vinyl chloride on February 6
The freight train carrying hazardous chemicals was en route to Pennsylvania when it derailed
HEPACO workers placed dams in a creek in eastern Palestine on February 9 as poisoned fish began to appear in the rivers
Several residents of eastern Palestine have now filed a class action lawsuit alleging Norfolk Southern acted negligently in the derailment.
Harold Freezle, a local business owner; Susan Scheufele, resident; and David Scheufele, who says he suffered injuries as a direct result of toxic chemicals released from the jobsite, filed a federal lawsuit last week.
It says Norfolk Southern failed to exercise “reasonable care” in moving hazardous materials, alleging the company caused “unreasonable intrusion on local residents,” “knowingly disregarded the rights and safety of others,” and “lets ingress hazardous substances.” . property of each and every member of the community.’
The lawsuit also requires the company to declassify all studies and reports related to the derailment and vinyl chloride release, which would prevent the company from deleting any records of the train for a 72-hour period prior to the incident or any property dated Removing location might help determine the cause of the crash.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro slammed Shaw and Norfolk Southern for their response to the derailment in a letter after they met with elected officials and emergency management officials in Beaver County.
He claimed that the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and Department of Environmental Protection were not notified of the crash at the Pennsylvania border until hours later, and said Norfolk Southern’s mismanagement of the disaster endangered rescue workers and local residents.
In addition, Shapiro argued, the railroad company provided inaccurate information about the impact of the controlled release of the chemical and failed to notify state and local officials of its plan to remove vinyl chloride from all five cars transporting the chemical, rather than just the one release a car had originally identified.
And he said Norfolk Southern did not immediately notify officials of the number of railcars carrying toxic chemicals.
“Norfolk Southern’s failure to participate in unified command and share accurate information has resulted in confusion and wide variability in potentially affected population estimates in the down flag affecting the Commonwealth,” Shapiro wrote in the letter, which was given to the Pennsylvania Capital -Star is present.
“Norfolk Southern has failed to review all potential courses of action, including some that might have kept the rail line closed longer but could have resulted in a safer overall approach for first responders, residents and the environment,” he continued.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro slammed Shaw for Norfolk Southern’s actions after the derailment. He is seen here at the February 4th Democratic National Committee winter meeting
The February 3 train derailment sparked a fire visible for miles
About 50 cars, including 10 carrying dangerous goods, derailed in the city
The governor is asking the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, charged with overseeing the state’s railroads, to investigate the company’s conduct.
“Like me, members of our state legislature are concerned at the conduct of Norfolk Southern during this incident.
“As you proceed with your inspection and oversight duties, I have pledged my government’s full cooperation to help you hold your corporation accountable to Pennsylvania,” the governor wrote in a letter to Shaw.
He also noted that he’s spoken to President Joe Biden and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, urging the federal agency that regulates the transportation of hazardous materials to review its definition of a highly hazardous flammable train — and to require those trains to have new braking systems use.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told Norfolk Southern on Wednesday that his office was considering legal action against the rail operator.
“The pollution that continues to afflict the area surrounding East Palestine has caused nuisance, damaged natural resources and caused environmental damage,” Yost said in a letter to the company.
Shaw’s primary residence is this $4.2 million mansion in Atlanta, Georgia
He also owns several properties in Virginia Beach (like this one) as well as in Roanoke
Shaw also owns two boats, like the Bennington boat pictured here
Shaw only took over as head of Norfolk Southern last year, but has served as the company’s president since December 1, 2021.
The Atlanta, Georgia resident previously served as Norfolk Southern’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer and vice president of intermodal operations.
He now owns more than 20 properties in Georgia and Virginia, with his primary residence in Atlanta being over $4.25 million.
Other homes he shares with his wife, Tiffany, in coveted locations like Virginia Beach and Roanoke range in price from $404,000 to $4.7 million.
He also owns two boats, according to public records, and was once in trouble with the law for allegedly not having a boat training certificate. He was found not guilty.