Photo: Getty Images
At the beginning of February, a freight train carrying a variety of hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio due to mechanical failure that was caused by the railroad industry rolling back safety regulations.
For example, Julia Rock, journalist at The Lever, points out on their podcast Lever Time that railroad companies fought to keep the federal government from requiring them to update their train’s braking system. In the Ohio derailment, the train’s axel was seen sparking for at least 20 miles and was already on fire before it derailed.
“The first thing to note is that most of the nation’s trains still run in operation with a braking system that dates back to the Civil War era,” said Rock. “There is a lag time between an emergency happening, the engineer pulling the brake, and the train coming to a stop.”
This system is one reason why it takes trains so long to stop. Each car must stop individually once the brake is pulled. There are new electric braking systems that were almost made mandatory by the United States government, but the industry used lobbyists to deregulate brake quality and inspection along with other safety requirements.
“Railroads, including Norfolk Southern, turned around and said, ‘No we don’t want to do this. It’s too expensive,’” said Rock. “The expenses of this rule exceeded the benefits in terms of how many lives and other costs related to accidents it could actually prevent.”
The FreightCasts podcast said that rail industry workers have been sounding the alarm on these deregulated practices since they began a few years ago. Joanna Marsh recalls talking with a maintenance technician who told her railroad companies had shortened the amount of time allowed to complete safety inspections and spread the number of workers responsible for inspections too thin.
Digital creator John Russell posted a video to his TikTok account of Clyde Whitaker, Ohio state legislative director of the Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation Union, making the same case in December. Russell followed up with Whitaker after the derailment earlier this month and was told that the industry standard has shifted from safety at all costs to profit at all costs.
Meanwhile, the rest of the country has only just begun finding out about the derailment and the toxic chemicals that were spilled due to poor initial media coverage. While the national spotlight followed the U.S. military’s showdown with a runaway balloon, a shocking amount of toxic chemicals were being burned, dumped, and literally covered up (with dirt) by Norfolk Southern.
Photo: Getty Images
“The train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio that looked apocalyptic in nature and yet, got the coverage of let’s say, a squirrel riding water skis,” comedian Jon Stewart said on his podcast. “Just an end of a news cast, ‘Here’s a little something you might not know, parts of Ohio are unlivable right now!”
While a federal investigation is ongoing, the damage has already been done. There are several environmental and health concerns due to chemicals entering the air, soil, and waterways that might be irreversible. While Norfolk Southern and Ohio government officials initially said only vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate were spilled or subsequently burned, the EPA released a letter saying more chemicals were found at the site. The report also stated that chemicals were seen entering storm drains, waterways, and were covered up with dirt by Norfolk Southern while repairing train tracks.
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