Ohio Senator blames corporate greed for train crash, toxic spill

Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown said corporate maneuvers that favor shareholders and company executives are to blame for safety lapses leading up to a train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals in a town in his home state.

“This is the same old story — corporations do stock buybacks, they do big dividend checks, and they lay off workers,” Brown said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “These things are happening because the railroads are simply not investing the way they should in car safety and the rail lines themselves.”

The citizens of East Palestine, a rural town of less than 5,000, are still coming to terms with the aftermath of a Norfolk Southern Corp.’s train going off course, creating a fiery crash on Feb. 3. The town was evacuated as the 150-car locomotive spilled chemicals, including vinyl chloride.

Crews are cleaning up the crash site and the railroad implemented a testing program for the water, air and soil, according to Alan Shaw, Norfolk’s chief executive officer. The company created a $1 million fund as a “down payment” to help rebuild the community of about 4,800, he said last week. 

Brown said he sees “hundreds of millions” of dollars being needed to help local families with testing, hotel bills and for local rebuilding.