[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 22, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S883-S884]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Rail Safety

  Mr. President, now on trains, after last month's terrible derailment 
in East Palestine, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has a chance today to 
prove before the Senate Commerce Committee that his company is ready to 
fix the damage they have created. During his testimony, I hope Mr. Shaw 
will offer some candid answers to a number of very troubling questions.
  For example, if Mr. Shaw and rail executives truly care about safety, 
why did they spend years--years--lobbying the Republican 
administrations to claw away at regulations intended to keep people 
safe?
  What is Norfolk Southern doing to prevent future accidents like the 
one in East Palestine? And, God forbid, if another one happens, how 
will Norfolk Southern ensure communities get the resources they need?
  Also, I want to hear Mr. Shaw explain why his company has engorged 
itself with stock buybacks when that money could have been spent on 
safety. Listen to this: Norfolk Southern has more than doubled the 
amount they spent on stock buybacks in the 5 years

[[Page S884]]

after the Trump tax law compared to the 5 years before it. In the same 
period, they cut jobs by thousands and lowered capital investments by 
billions. How is that justifiable?
  I understand that NTSB Chair Homendy is offering testimony as well. I 
hope we hear from her that the NTSB is ready to conduct a full 
investigation, not just into Norfolk Southern but into all class I 
freight rail companies, as I have asked her to do. Such an examination 
could shed light on a number of rail accidents, if they occurred in 
populated areas, and which toxic chemicals were released.
  A full NTSB investigation could tell us which of these accidents 
occurred because the tracks were severely degraded or poorly designed, 
and a full investigation from the NTSB could tell us which negligent 
rail company policies contributed to the 2,700 deaths in recent years 
and if any of these could have been prevented.
  The Senate deserves explanations. Americans and communities like East 
Palestine want answers. I hope today's hearing provides some so we can 
prevent rail disasters like the one in Ohio from happening again.