[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 17 (Tuesday, January 30, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
One-Year Anniversary of the East Palestine Derailment
Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I rise today on a pretty solemn occasion in
Eastern Ohio. Frankly, 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 3, 2023, less than a year ago, 38 railcars from a train
spanning 1\1/2\ miles--think about that: a train spanning 1\1/2\
miles--derailed and overturned right outside the center of East
Palestine, OH. Flames flared and thick, black plumes of smoke billowed
into the sky. Toxic chemicals started spewing into the air and the
water and the ground. We saw the footage. We all saw that footage that
dominated the news. People read the articles. They scrolled through it
on social media.
Americans watched it, but 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 Centers for Disease Control to support a free health clinic.
They needed answers and help with cleanup. We got that done.
Local business owners and farmers and manufacturers needed investment
to keep their community alive. We delivered through a loan program
through the Department of Agriculture.
Now, essentially, the reporters have packed up and the cameras left
the community to chase the next big story, but the people of East
Palestine are still there, trying to move forward. Over the last year,
I have 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 won't be hit by a surprise tax bill this
season, and we included a provision in the bipartisan tax deal to
guarantee that--that tax deal that included breaks for our research and
development and the child tax credit, voted out of the House Ways and
Means Committee 40 to 3.
We are fighting for all of it. We are not giving up. We will keep
asking and listening and making sure they get what they need.
As we sat at roundtables of their local businesses and toured the
health clinic and walked through the fields of their family farms, I
had the privilege of getting to know better this town and the people
who call East Palestine home.
They have a rich history. For decades, this community, this county,
manufactured 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
East Palestine, I don't just think about a train derailment; I think
about the resilience they have shown the world. I think about
firefighters who were first on the scene that night of the derailment,
having no idea what they were exposing themselves to; but that was
their job. And all but one at the fire department--the chief is the
exception--all but one of them is a volunteer. They have returned to
work every day, despite what they found, to serve their community.
I think about the parents who fought to make sure the town will still
be their home and where their families feel safe. I think about the
business owners and farmers and manufacturers working to resume pre-
derailment operations, and I have no doubt they will.
The people of East Palestine want the support and the compensation
they are owed. They do not want this derailment to define them. I don't
want that either. 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. Norfolk Southern laid off a third of their workers in
the last decade. Now, they are trying to take even more crew members
off trains--trains that can be miles long and carry dangerous
chemicals.
Understand that in the 10 years leading up to this, a third of
Norfolk Southern workers were laid off. There were stock buybacks, big
dividends for the executives, and look what happened to public safety.
The company is known to rush safety inspections--inspections that could
help spare communities from disaster.
It paints a picture of a company culture obsessed with profits at the
expense of safety and the communities their trains pass through. It is
the Wall Street business model: cut costs to boost your stock price,
cash out millions in executive bonuses, 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 have to 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 big rail companies
accountable and to 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 had train derailments. It is not just East
Palestine. It is Steubenville. It is Ravenna. It is Sandusky. It is
Springfield. It is 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 they make their payments; and, finally--of course,
reluctantly, because it affected their bottom line--they did.
That is how I approach this job. I listen to the people we serve.
Here is my message to the people of East Palestine and every single
Ohioan from Cincinnati to Ashtabula, from Toledo to Athens, and
everywhere in between: I will continue to fight for Ohio every single
time. When disaster strikes, we show up. We find ways to make sure
every community gets what they need. We fight to make sure these
tragedies never happen again.
I have told the people of East Palestine--and I keep telling them--
that I am there for the long haul. I can count the number of times that
people said: Well, nobody will come back once the cameras leave.
Well, the cameras have mostly left. I have been there eight times. I
will continue to be there. I will continue to fight for the people of
Columbiana County. I will always fight to hold Norfolk Southern
accountable. I will always fight to make our railways safer.