psychgirl
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thanks for doing that. I don’t know how to on my phone
DISASTER Train derailment, fire, evacuation in East Palestine (OHIO)
- Thread starter Countrymouse
- Start date
Groucho
Has No Life - Lives on TB
The guy who does the Tool Review Zone did a video on the East Palestine massacre. I appreciated it. Hope you do. I tied it in with the main thread.
RT 4:59
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsdt3zHvtck
RT 4:59
Fair Use Cited
----------------
Ohio sues Norfolk Southern over East Palestine toxic train derailment
MEREDITH DELISO
Tue, March 14, 2023 at 3:17 PM CDT
Ohio is suing Norfolk Southern Railway over last month's toxic train derailment in East Palestine, state Attorney General Dave Yost announced Tuesday.
The 58-count complaint, filed in federal court on Tuesday, alleges the railway operator violated various federal and state environmental laws and Ohio Common Law, "recklessly endangering" the health of residents and Ohio's natural resources, Yost's office said.
"This derailment was entirely avoidable and I'm concerned that Norfolk Southern may be putting profits for their own company above the health and safety of the cities and communities that they operate in," Yost said at a press briefing announcing the lawsuit.
About 50 cars of a freight train operated by Norfolk Southern derailed in a fiery crash on Feb. 3, sending toxic chemicals into the air, soil and creeks in the area. Amid concerns an explosion could take place, officials intentionally released and burned toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending a large ball of fire and a plume of black smoke filled with contaminants high into the sky.
The lawsuit alleges illegal disposal of hazardous waste, failure to have a contingency plan and unauthorized discharge to waters of the state, among other claims for relief, court records show.
Yost said the lawsuit seeks to address any economic and long-term health impacts that residents of East Palestine may experience due to the derailment. He said he sat down with Norfolk Southern officials on Monday to discuss possible compensation, including a fund to compensate for long-term losses to real estate values and a fund to address any "delayed" health impacts.
"This lawsuit is designed to make sure that Norfolk Southern keeps their word to the people of East Palestine and the people of Ohio," Yost said.
Yost said it was too soon to determine damages due to the derailment, as the emergency response is ongoing.
"This was an epic disaster and the cleanup is going to be expensive and it's going to take some significant dollars to put the people of East Palestine back as close as possible to the position they were in before Feb. 3," he said.
Several East Palestine residents have filed a class-action against Norfolk Southern, seeking punitive damages as well as a fund for medical monitoring and testing, among other relief. Yost said the state's lawsuit is focused on seeking damages to "the state of Ohio, to its environment, to its economy, as well as the broader damage to the people," and that the varied lawsuits "are about different consequences of the same fact."
In response to the lawsuit announcement, Norfolk Southern released a statement that said it is "listening closely to concerns from the community about whether there could be long-term impacts from the derailment."
The company said it is working to develop programs that create a long-term medical compensation fund, offer protection to home sellers in the area and protect drinking water "over the long term."
"We look forward to working toward a final resolution with Attorney General Yost and others as we coordinate with his office, community leaders, and other stakeholders to finalize the details of these programs," the statement said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered Norfolk Southern to pay for the cleanup of the train wreck and chemical release.
The incident has caused lingering concerns and anxiety for residents of East Palestine, located near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, as well as increased scrutiny of railway regulations and calls for reform.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the incident, called the derailment "100% preventable."
The NTSB announced last week it would launch a special investigation of Norfolk Southern's safety and culture. The last time the NTSB made such a move was in 2014, when it investigated Metro-North for several significant accidents.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration also announced last week that it will conduct a safety assessment of Norfolk Southern's railway safety operations "following multiple safety incidents."
Washington lawmakers grilled Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw on Thursday about the East Palestine disaster during their first hearing on railroad safety held in the wake of the incident.
On the eve of his Senate testimony, Shaw said the Atlanta-based company was committed to improve rail safety in a Washington Post op-ed.
"We are not waiting to act" while the NTSB investigates what happened in East Palestine and probing Norfolk Southern's safety culture overall, Shaw wrote.
"We are firmly committed to the residents of East Palestine and the surrounding communities in Ohio and Pennsylvania," Shaw continued. "Many of the people I've met are angry, scared and concerned about the future. I understand their skepticism that a big corporation such as Norfolk Southern will do the right thing, and we are determined to earn their trust."
Norfolk Southern unveiled a safety plan last week based on preliminary findings of the NTSB's ongoing investigation, which has so far indicated that an overheated wheel bearing likely caused the East Palestine derailment.
Since the Feb. 3 derailment, Norfolk Southern said it has committed nearly $8 million to the community of East Palestine "with more to come."
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has also said the railway operator has committed to pay more than $7.3 million for damages to residents and first responders in Beaver and Lawrence counties due to the derailment.
www.yahoo.com
----------------
Ohio sues Norfolk Southern over East Palestine toxic train derailment
MEREDITH DELISO
Tue, March 14, 2023 at 3:17 PM CDT
Ohio is suing Norfolk Southern Railway over last month's toxic train derailment in East Palestine, state Attorney General Dave Yost announced Tuesday.
The 58-count complaint, filed in federal court on Tuesday, alleges the railway operator violated various federal and state environmental laws and Ohio Common Law, "recklessly endangering" the health of residents and Ohio's natural resources, Yost's office said.
"This derailment was entirely avoidable and I'm concerned that Norfolk Southern may be putting profits for their own company above the health and safety of the cities and communities that they operate in," Yost said at a press briefing announcing the lawsuit.
About 50 cars of a freight train operated by Norfolk Southern derailed in a fiery crash on Feb. 3, sending toxic chemicals into the air, soil and creeks in the area. Amid concerns an explosion could take place, officials intentionally released and burned toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending a large ball of fire and a plume of black smoke filled with contaminants high into the sky.
The lawsuit alleges illegal disposal of hazardous waste, failure to have a contingency plan and unauthorized discharge to waters of the state, among other claims for relief, court records show.
Yost said the lawsuit seeks to address any economic and long-term health impacts that residents of East Palestine may experience due to the derailment. He said he sat down with Norfolk Southern officials on Monday to discuss possible compensation, including a fund to compensate for long-term losses to real estate values and a fund to address any "delayed" health impacts.
"This lawsuit is designed to make sure that Norfolk Southern keeps their word to the people of East Palestine and the people of Ohio," Yost said.
Yost said it was too soon to determine damages due to the derailment, as the emergency response is ongoing.
"This was an epic disaster and the cleanup is going to be expensive and it's going to take some significant dollars to put the people of East Palestine back as close as possible to the position they were in before Feb. 3," he said.
Several East Palestine residents have filed a class-action against Norfolk Southern, seeking punitive damages as well as a fund for medical monitoring and testing, among other relief. Yost said the state's lawsuit is focused on seeking damages to "the state of Ohio, to its environment, to its economy, as well as the broader damage to the people," and that the varied lawsuits "are about different consequences of the same fact."
In response to the lawsuit announcement, Norfolk Southern released a statement that said it is "listening closely to concerns from the community about whether there could be long-term impacts from the derailment."
The company said it is working to develop programs that create a long-term medical compensation fund, offer protection to home sellers in the area and protect drinking water "over the long term."
"We look forward to working toward a final resolution with Attorney General Yost and others as we coordinate with his office, community leaders, and other stakeholders to finalize the details of these programs," the statement said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered Norfolk Southern to pay for the cleanup of the train wreck and chemical release.
The incident has caused lingering concerns and anxiety for residents of East Palestine, located near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, as well as increased scrutiny of railway regulations and calls for reform.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the incident, called the derailment "100% preventable."
The NTSB announced last week it would launch a special investigation of Norfolk Southern's safety and culture. The last time the NTSB made such a move was in 2014, when it investigated Metro-North for several significant accidents.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration also announced last week that it will conduct a safety assessment of Norfolk Southern's railway safety operations "following multiple safety incidents."
Washington lawmakers grilled Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw on Thursday about the East Palestine disaster during their first hearing on railroad safety held in the wake of the incident.
On the eve of his Senate testimony, Shaw said the Atlanta-based company was committed to improve rail safety in a Washington Post op-ed.
"We are not waiting to act" while the NTSB investigates what happened in East Palestine and probing Norfolk Southern's safety culture overall, Shaw wrote.
"We are firmly committed to the residents of East Palestine and the surrounding communities in Ohio and Pennsylvania," Shaw continued. "Many of the people I've met are angry, scared and concerned about the future. I understand their skepticism that a big corporation such as Norfolk Southern will do the right thing, and we are determined to earn their trust."
Norfolk Southern unveiled a safety plan last week based on preliminary findings of the NTSB's ongoing investigation, which has so far indicated that an overheated wheel bearing likely caused the East Palestine derailment.
Since the Feb. 3 derailment, Norfolk Southern said it has committed nearly $8 million to the community of East Palestine "with more to come."
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has also said the railway operator has committed to pay more than $7.3 million for damages to residents and first responders in Beaver and Lawrence counties due to the derailment.
Ohio sues Norfolk Southern over East Palestine toxic train derailment
Ohio is suing Norfolk Southern Railway over last month's toxic train derailment in East Palestine, state Attorney General Dave Yost announced Tuesday. The 58-count complaint, filed in federal court on Tuesday, alleges the railway operator violated various federal and state environmental laws...
vector7
Dot Collector
BREAKING REPORT: Soil testing Reveals Dioxin Levels HUNDREDS OF TIMES Over Cancer Risk Threshold in East Palestine, Ohio..
Johns Hopkins University's organic chemist Carsten Prasse added that the dioxin concentrations in the soil samples examined are "ACTUALLY CONCERNING."
"My main concern is: is this reflective of the level in the area in East Palestine... and of the levels individuals who live near the rail are exposed to?" Prasse asked.
"I certainly WOULDN'T BE COMFORTABLE living there."
It's become very obvious to anyone willing to see that the Biden administration perceives the American people as inconsequential. This being said, I'm of a mind that the free people of America should see themselves as the owners of the country and act accordingly.
View: https://twitter.com/TheRDFloyd/status/1636876930720104448?s=20
Johns Hopkins University's organic chemist Carsten Prasse added that the dioxin concentrations in the soil samples examined are "ACTUALLY CONCERNING."
"My main concern is: is this reflective of the level in the area in East Palestine... and of the levels individuals who live near the rail are exposed to?" Prasse asked.
"I certainly WOULDN'T BE COMFORTABLE living there."
It's become very obvious to anyone willing to see that the Biden administration perceives the American people as inconsequential. This being said, I'm of a mind that the free people of America should see themselves as the owners of the country and act accordingly.
View: https://twitter.com/TheRDFloyd/status/1636876930720104448?s=20
Breaking on Google News.
---------------------------------------
East Palestine Soil Contains Dioxin Levels Hundreds of Times Over ...
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Levels of carcinogenic chemical near Ohio derailment site far above safe limit
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High Levels of Toxic Chemicals Detected in East Palestine Soil After ...
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East Palestine spill has EPA on alert for dioxins
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Dioxins likely in East Palestine — EPA refuses to test
Here's a big surprise,
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---------------
Norfolk Southern wiped out most of video leading up to East Palestine derailment
by Darrel RowlandFri, March 24th 2023, 8:17 AM CDT
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Norfolk Southern wiped out most of a video in the train cab that could have provided crucial information about the East Palestine derailment, the head of the agency investigating the crash says.
While the camera in the locomotive has 12 hours of recording time, “all of that – except 15 minutes before the derailment and 5 minutes after – was overwritten after the accident because they put the locomotive immediately back in service,” Jennifer L. Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told ABC 6 On Your Side.
That means everything except for those 20 minutes around the derailment was recorded over. And thus investigators cannot check video from the inward-facing camera to see what the three-person train crew was doing earlier in the trip.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, testifies Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee. (screenshot)
“It’s just as important to see what was going on before that,” Homendy said. “The train was going in the 35-40 mph range earlier and then between 40-50. So we don’t even have what was occurring around the first and second wayside (defect) detectors, much less before that, all of which is key to investigations.”
The detectors, placed at intervals several miles apart along the tracks, are designed to pick up problems such as the overheated bearing blamed for causing the wreck.
The preliminary NTSB report said the crew was not at fault.
Six on Your Side reached out to Homendy after the missing recording came up briefly Wednesday during a three-and-a-half hearing on the Feb. 3 wreck in eastern Ohio that is still drawing national attention.
The transportation board leader said her agency plans to hold an investigative field hearing in East Palestine in June.
“The hearing will be wholly fact-finding in nature and open to the public,” she said.
Before the hearing, the NTSB will hold a town hall to receive public comments.
Unlike flight recorders on airplanes or even videoes on Amtrak or commuter rail lines, no requirement exists to preserve recordings on freight trains – even ones that derail and cause untold damage.
The problem is not new – even in Ohio. Lack of video hampered investigators probing Aug. 12, 2019, a collision between two CSX trains in the northwest Ohio community of Carey – one of which started its trip in Columbus.
The NTSB initially recommended mandatory "crash- and fire-protected" cameras in 2010 and repeated the request numerous times in the 13 years since, Homendy said in written testimony to the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee.
“Like cockpit voice recorders in aviation, audio and video recorders in the locomotive cab are essential for helping investigators determine the cause of an accident and make more precise safety recommendations. Recorders also help operators proactively improve their safety policies and practices,” she said during Wednesday’s hearing.
“Now is the time to expand that requirement to audio and include the Class 1 freight railroads in that mandate.”
Wayside defect detector in northern Columbus. (WSYX)
Homendy said the NTSB also is taking a close look at the wayside defect detectors - often dubbed "hot boxes."
Thirty miles west of East Palestine, near Sebring, a set of detectors picked up the overheating wheel bearing that the NTSB suspects caused the derailment. It was 38 degrees hotter than the surrounding air temperature.
Another detector in Salem, about 20 miles from the crash site, showed the bearing’s temperature had skyrocketed by 65 degrees in just those 10 miles.
By then, the bearing’s temperature was 103 degrees hotter than the surrounding air. But here’s the catch: Norfolk Southern’s standards don’t call for the train to be stopped and inspected until the bearing reaches at least 115 degrees above the outside temperature – a mere 12 degrees hotter than the reading.
But the time the next reading in East Palestine showed the bearing a stunning 253 degrees above the air temperature, the crew attempted to stop the train - but it was too late.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testified that railroad employees adhered to company guidelines - which he called among the strictest in the industry - on when the train must be stopped.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testifies Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee in Washington. (Screenshot)
Two issues are now getting a closer look.
One is that the crew operating the train apparently didn't get a warning of the overheating rail bearing until it hit the critical level just before the derailment. Instead, only Norfolk Southern's operations center in Atlanta was able to see the earlier temperature readings.
The other: Why the train wasn't stopped when the reading showed the bearing's temperature was rising so rapidly?
"The desk in Atlanta has trending technology software. We are investigating what that software showed the desk employee and what was going on there at the time," Homendy told WSYX.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, questions a witness during Wednesday's hearing on the East Palestine train wreck. (Screenshot)
During the hearing, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, the top Republican on the panel, took note of the rapidly rising temperature of the bearing 20 miles from the crash site as he questioned Shaw.
"If you'd stopped then it would have prevented the derailment," Cruz remarked.
Shaw noted the company already has agreed to add 200 hot boxes to its 22-state rail network, part of 1,000 additional devices the rail industry has agreed to install after the Ohio crash.
Ian Jefferies, CEO of the Association of American Railroads, testifies Wednesday in front of the Senate Commerce Committee. (Screenshot)
Ian Jefferies, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads, said rail companies are "looking at industry best practices to examine and potentially adopt new algorithms for trending detection. So that if there is a dramatic spike in temperature, even though it may be below that absolute threshold, it's caught. And so we brought the entire industry together and over the next month we'll be reporting out, OK, what can we learn from each other? And what are the best practices we can adopt and what other steps need to be taken based on the information we have and the predictive analytics we can put into place? "
Homendy said her agency is "going to look at the spacing of those detectors, whether the information is or should be monitored in real-time with data trending from a control center. And we will look at the temperature thresholds which indicate immediate action once an overheated bearing is detected."
Several times during Wednesday's session, the statements of rail industry leaders were challenged by Clyde Whitaker, state legislative director for the transportation division of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation union,
He said on-board train crews should be notified of trending information, such as the rapidly heating bearing in the train that derailed in eastern Ohio.
"We need to be notified whenever these trending detectors are seeing this car trend hotter. That way we can keep a better eye on it - or even stop inspecting that rail car," Whitaker said.
Instead, train companies want to keep their trains moving even if possible problems are spotted, he testified.
"Several days after East Palestine we almost had a similar incident in the Cleveland area on Norfolk Southern," Whitaker told the senators.
"The train dispatcher (in Atlanta) came on and said, 'Hey, we have a report on the trending defect detector on the train. We need you to stop and inspect it.'
"Immediately after that, the chief dispatcher - which is the person that controls the whole railroad - told them to keep going."
How did the crew discover there was a problem?
A train going the opposite direction on a parallel track radioed and said, "Hey, your trains on fire. Wow, stop your train," Whitaker testified.
Ohio state Sen. Stephanie Kunze, R-Dublin. (screenshot)
Meanwhile, the Ohio Senate approved a transportation bill Thursday with several rail safety provisions:
Requiring at least a two-person crew, which Whitaker and others say is vital to safety.
Installing hot boxes every 10 to 15 miles, based on terrain.
Requiring the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to study and submit a report within 90 days regarding best practices for hot boxes and bearing temperature failure detectors, acoustic detectors that identify failing bearings and evaluate the need for installing cameras along the tracks.
The measure returns to the House for consideration of changes made by the Senate.
“Of all the bills we pass in the Ohio General Assembly, this is the one that Ohioans see every day,” said Senate Transportation Committee Chair Stephanie Kunze, R-Dublin.
Sen. Michael Rulli, a Salem Republican whose district includes East Palestine, said the train wreck "hurt the community immensely and will be felt by our neighbors there for years to come. We must do better.”
abc6onyourside.com
Fair Use Cited
---------------
Norfolk Southern wiped out most of video leading up to East Palestine derailment
by Darrel RowlandFri, March 24th 2023, 8:17 AM CDT
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Norfolk Southern wiped out most of a video in the train cab that could have provided crucial information about the East Palestine derailment, the head of the agency investigating the crash says.
While the camera in the locomotive has 12 hours of recording time, “all of that – except 15 minutes before the derailment and 5 minutes after – was overwritten after the accident because they put the locomotive immediately back in service,” Jennifer L. Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told ABC 6 On Your Side.
That means everything except for those 20 minutes around the derailment was recorded over. And thus investigators cannot check video from the inward-facing camera to see what the three-person train crew was doing earlier in the trip.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, testifies Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee. (screenshot)
“It’s just as important to see what was going on before that,” Homendy said. “The train was going in the 35-40 mph range earlier and then between 40-50. So we don’t even have what was occurring around the first and second wayside (defect) detectors, much less before that, all of which is key to investigations.”
The detectors, placed at intervals several miles apart along the tracks, are designed to pick up problems such as the overheated bearing blamed for causing the wreck.
The preliminary NTSB report said the crew was not at fault.
Six on Your Side reached out to Homendy after the missing recording came up briefly Wednesday during a three-and-a-half hearing on the Feb. 3 wreck in eastern Ohio that is still drawing national attention.
The transportation board leader said her agency plans to hold an investigative field hearing in East Palestine in June.
“The hearing will be wholly fact-finding in nature and open to the public,” she said.
Before the hearing, the NTSB will hold a town hall to receive public comments.
Unlike flight recorders on airplanes or even videoes on Amtrak or commuter rail lines, no requirement exists to preserve recordings on freight trains – even ones that derail and cause untold damage.
The problem is not new – even in Ohio. Lack of video hampered investigators probing Aug. 12, 2019, a collision between two CSX trains in the northwest Ohio community of Carey – one of which started its trip in Columbus.
The NTSB initially recommended mandatory "crash- and fire-protected" cameras in 2010 and repeated the request numerous times in the 13 years since, Homendy said in written testimony to the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee.
“Like cockpit voice recorders in aviation, audio and video recorders in the locomotive cab are essential for helping investigators determine the cause of an accident and make more precise safety recommendations. Recorders also help operators proactively improve their safety policies and practices,” she said during Wednesday’s hearing.
“Now is the time to expand that requirement to audio and include the Class 1 freight railroads in that mandate.”
Wayside defect detector in northern Columbus. (WSYX)
Homendy said the NTSB also is taking a close look at the wayside defect detectors - often dubbed "hot boxes."
Thirty miles west of East Palestine, near Sebring, a set of detectors picked up the overheating wheel bearing that the NTSB suspects caused the derailment. It was 38 degrees hotter than the surrounding air temperature.
Another detector in Salem, about 20 miles from the crash site, showed the bearing’s temperature had skyrocketed by 65 degrees in just those 10 miles.
By then, the bearing’s temperature was 103 degrees hotter than the surrounding air. But here’s the catch: Norfolk Southern’s standards don’t call for the train to be stopped and inspected until the bearing reaches at least 115 degrees above the outside temperature – a mere 12 degrees hotter than the reading.
But the time the next reading in East Palestine showed the bearing a stunning 253 degrees above the air temperature, the crew attempted to stop the train - but it was too late.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testified that railroad employees adhered to company guidelines - which he called among the strictest in the industry - on when the train must be stopped.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testifies Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee in Washington. (Screenshot)
Two issues are now getting a closer look.
One is that the crew operating the train apparently didn't get a warning of the overheating rail bearing until it hit the critical level just before the derailment. Instead, only Norfolk Southern's operations center in Atlanta was able to see the earlier temperature readings.
The other: Why the train wasn't stopped when the reading showed the bearing's temperature was rising so rapidly?
"The desk in Atlanta has trending technology software. We are investigating what that software showed the desk employee and what was going on there at the time," Homendy told WSYX.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, questions a witness during Wednesday's hearing on the East Palestine train wreck. (Screenshot)
During the hearing, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, the top Republican on the panel, took note of the rapidly rising temperature of the bearing 20 miles from the crash site as he questioned Shaw.
"If you'd stopped then it would have prevented the derailment," Cruz remarked.
Shaw noted the company already has agreed to add 200 hot boxes to its 22-state rail network, part of 1,000 additional devices the rail industry has agreed to install after the Ohio crash.
Ian Jefferies, CEO of the Association of American Railroads, testifies Wednesday in front of the Senate Commerce Committee. (Screenshot)
Ian Jefferies, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads, said rail companies are "looking at industry best practices to examine and potentially adopt new algorithms for trending detection. So that if there is a dramatic spike in temperature, even though it may be below that absolute threshold, it's caught. And so we brought the entire industry together and over the next month we'll be reporting out, OK, what can we learn from each other? And what are the best practices we can adopt and what other steps need to be taken based on the information we have and the predictive analytics we can put into place? "
Homendy said her agency is "going to look at the spacing of those detectors, whether the information is or should be monitored in real-time with data trending from a control center. And we will look at the temperature thresholds which indicate immediate action once an overheated bearing is detected."
Several times during Wednesday's session, the statements of rail industry leaders were challenged by Clyde Whitaker, state legislative director for the transportation division of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation union,
He said on-board train crews should be notified of trending information, such as the rapidly heating bearing in the train that derailed in eastern Ohio.
"We need to be notified whenever these trending detectors are seeing this car trend hotter. That way we can keep a better eye on it - or even stop inspecting that rail car," Whitaker said.
Instead, train companies want to keep their trains moving even if possible problems are spotted, he testified.
"Several days after East Palestine we almost had a similar incident in the Cleveland area on Norfolk Southern," Whitaker told the senators.
"The train dispatcher (in Atlanta) came on and said, 'Hey, we have a report on the trending defect detector on the train. We need you to stop and inspect it.'
"Immediately after that, the chief dispatcher - which is the person that controls the whole railroad - told them to keep going."
How did the crew discover there was a problem?
A train going the opposite direction on a parallel track radioed and said, "Hey, your trains on fire. Wow, stop your train," Whitaker testified.
Ohio state Sen. Stephanie Kunze, R-Dublin. (screenshot)
Meanwhile, the Ohio Senate approved a transportation bill Thursday with several rail safety provisions:
Requiring at least a two-person crew, which Whitaker and others say is vital to safety.
Installing hot boxes every 10 to 15 miles, based on terrain.
Requiring the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to study and submit a report within 90 days regarding best practices for hot boxes and bearing temperature failure detectors, acoustic detectors that identify failing bearings and evaluate the need for installing cameras along the tracks.
The measure returns to the House for consideration of changes made by the Senate.
“Of all the bills we pass in the Ohio General Assembly, this is the one that Ohioans see every day,” said Senate Transportation Committee Chair Stephanie Kunze, R-Dublin.
Sen. Michael Rulli, a Salem Republican whose district includes East Palestine, said the train wreck "hurt the community immensely and will be felt by our neighbors there for years to come. We must do better.”
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What are they still using VHS?
Momof5
Senior Member
The News Alerts of Beaver County | East Palestine. Blue tanks are toxic water, the ones with the covers are waste dirt I believe
East Palestine. Blue tanks are toxic water, the ones with the covers are waste dirt I believe. There's also a several mountains of contaminated dirt on the opposite side of Taggart street behind...
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Countrymouse
Country exile in the city
Here's a big surprise,
Fair Use Cited
---------------
Norfolk Southern wiped out most of video leading up to East Palestine derailment
by Darrel RowlandFri, March 24th 2023, 8:17 AM CDT
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Norfolk Southern wiped out most of a video in the train cab that could have provided crucial information about the East Palestine derailment, the head of the agency investigating the crash says.
While the camera in the locomotive has 12 hours of recording time, “all of that – except 15 minutes before the derailment and 5 minutes after – was overwritten after the accident because they put the locomotive immediately back in service,” Jennifer L. Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told ABC 6 On Your Side.
That means everything except for those 20 minutes around the derailment was recorded over. And thus investigators cannot check video from the inward-facing camera to see what the three-person train crew was doing earlier in the trip.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, testifies Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee. (screenshot)
“It’s just as important to see what was going on before that,” Homendy said. “The train was going in the 35-40 mph range earlier and then between 40-50. So we don’t even have what was occurring around the first and second wayside (defect) detectors, much less before that, all of which is key to investigations.”
The detectors, placed at intervals several miles apart along the tracks, are designed to pick up problems such as the overheated bearing blamed for causing the wreck.
The preliminary NTSB report said the crew was not at fault.
Six on Your Side reached out to Homendy after the missing recording came up briefly Wednesday during a three-and-a-half hearing on the Feb. 3 wreck in eastern Ohio that is still drawing national attention.
The transportation board leader said her agency plans to hold an investigative field hearing in East Palestine in June.
“The hearing will be wholly fact-finding in nature and open to the public,” she said.
Before the hearing, the NTSB will hold a town hall to receive public comments.
Unlike flight recorders on airplanes or even videoes on Amtrak or commuter rail lines, no requirement exists to preserve recordings on freight trains – even ones that derail and cause untold damage.
The problem is not new – even in Ohio. Lack of video hampered investigators probing Aug. 12, 2019, a collision between two CSX trains in the northwest Ohio community of Carey – one of which started its trip in Columbus.
The NTSB initially recommended mandatory "crash- and fire-protected" cameras in 2010 and repeated the request numerous times in the 13 years since, Homendy said in written testimony to the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee.
“Like cockpit voice recorders in aviation, audio and video recorders in the locomotive cab are essential for helping investigators determine the cause of an accident and make more precise safety recommendations. Recorders also help operators proactively improve their safety policies and practices,” she said during Wednesday’s hearing.
“Now is the time to expand that requirement to audio and include the Class 1 freight railroads in that mandate.”
Wayside defect detector in northern Columbus. (WSYX)
Homendy said the NTSB also is taking a close look at the wayside defect detectors - often dubbed "hot boxes."
Thirty miles west of East Palestine, near Sebring, a set of detectors picked up the overheating wheel bearing that the NTSB suspects caused the derailment. It was 38 degrees hotter than the surrounding air temperature.
Another detector in Salem, about 20 miles from the crash site, showed the bearing’s temperature had skyrocketed by 65 degrees in just those 10 miles.
By then, the bearing’s temperature was 103 degrees hotter than the surrounding air. But here’s the catch: Norfolk Southern’s standards don’t call for the train to be stopped and inspected until the bearing reaches at least 115 degrees above the outside temperature – a mere 12 degrees hotter than the reading.
But the time the next reading in East Palestine showed the bearing a stunning 253 degrees above the air temperature, the crew attempted to stop the train - but it was too late.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testified that railroad employees adhered to company guidelines - which he called among the strictest in the industry - on when the train must be stopped.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testifies Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee in Washington. (Screenshot)
Two issues are now getting a closer look.
One is that the crew operating the train apparently didn't get a warning of the overheating rail bearing until it hit the critical level just before the derailment. Instead, only Norfolk Southern's operations center in Atlanta was able to see the earlier temperature readings.
The other: Why the train wasn't stopped when the reading showed the bearing's temperature was rising so rapidly?
"The desk in Atlanta has trending technology software. We are investigating what that software showed the desk employee and what was going on there at the time," Homendy told WSYX.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, questions a witness during Wednesday's hearing on the East Palestine train wreck. (Screenshot)
During the hearing, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, the top Republican on the panel, took note of the rapidly rising temperature of the bearing 20 miles from the crash site as he questioned Shaw.
"If you'd stopped then it would have prevented the derailment," Cruz remarked.
Shaw noted the company already has agreed to add 200 hot boxes to its 22-state rail network, part of 1,000 additional devices the rail industry has agreed to install after the Ohio crash.
Ian Jefferies, CEO of the Association of American Railroads, testifies Wednesday in front of the Senate Commerce Committee. (Screenshot)
Ian Jefferies, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads, said rail companies are "looking at industry best practices to examine and potentially adopt new algorithms for trending detection. So that if there is a dramatic spike in temperature, even though it may be below that absolute threshold, it's caught. And so we brought the entire industry together and over the next month we'll be reporting out, OK, what can we learn from each other? And what are the best practices we can adopt and what other steps need to be taken based on the information we have and the predictive analytics we can put into place? "
Homendy said her agency is "going to look at the spacing of those detectors, whether the information is or should be monitored in real-time with data trending from a control center. And we will look at the temperature thresholds which indicate immediate action once an overheated bearing is detected."
Several times during Wednesday's session, the statements of rail industry leaders were challenged by Clyde Whitaker, state legislative director for the transportation division of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation union,
He said on-board train crews should be notified of trending information, such as the rapidly heating bearing in the train that derailed in eastern Ohio.
"We need to be notified whenever these trending detectors are seeing this car trend hotter. That way we can keep a better eye on it - or even stop inspecting that rail car," Whitaker said.
Instead, train companies want to keep their trains moving even if possible problems are spotted, he testified.
"Several days after East Palestine we almost had a similar incident in the Cleveland area on Norfolk Southern," Whitaker told the senators.
"The train dispatcher (in Atlanta) came on and said, 'Hey, we have a report on the trending defect detector on the train. We need you to stop and inspect it.'
"Immediately after that, the chief dispatcher - which is the person that controls the whole railroad - told them to keep going."
How did the crew discover there was a problem?
A train going the opposite direction on a parallel track radioed and said, "Hey, your trains on fire. Wow, stop your train," Whitaker testified.
Ohio state Sen. Stephanie Kunze, R-Dublin. (screenshot)
Meanwhile, the Ohio Senate approved a transportation bill Thursday with several rail safety provisions:
Requiring at least a two-person crew, which Whitaker and others say is vital to safety.
Installing hot boxes every 10 to 15 miles, based on terrain.
Requiring the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to study and submit a report within 90 days regarding best practices for hot boxes and bearing temperature failure detectors, acoustic detectors that identify failing bearings and evaluate the need for installing cameras along the tracks.
The measure returns to the House for consideration of changes made by the Senate.
“Of all the bills we pass in the Ohio General Assembly, this is the one that Ohioans see every day,” said Senate Transportation Committee Chair Stephanie Kunze, R-Dublin.
Sen. Michael Rulli, a Salem Republican whose district includes East Palestine, said the train wreck "hurt the community immensely and will be felt by our neighbors there for years to come. We must do better.”
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Norfolk Southern wiped out most of video leading up to East Palestine derailment
by Darrel RowlandFri, March 24th 2023, 8:17 AM CDT
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Norfolk Southern wiped out most of a video in the train cab that could have provided crucial information about the East Palestine derailment, the head of the agency investigating the crash says.
While the camera in the locomotive has 12 hours of recording time, “all of that – except 15 minutes before the derailment and 5 minutes after – was overwritten after the accident because they put the locomotive immediately back in service,” Jennifer L. Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told ABC 6 On Your Side........
Two issues are now getting a closer look.
One is that the crew operating the train apparently didn't get a warning of the overheating rail bearing until it hit the critical level just before the derailment.
Instead, only Norfolk Southern's operations center in Atlanta was able to see the earlier temperature readings.
The other: Why the train wasn't stopped when the reading showed the bearing's temperature was rising so rapidly?
"The desk in Atlanta has trending technology software. We are investigating what that software showed the desk employee and what was going on there at the time," Homendy told WSYX.....
Several times during Wednesday's session, the statements of rail industry leaders were challenged by Clyde Whitaker, state legislative director for the transportation division of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation union,
He said on-board train crews should be notified of trending information, such as the rapidly heating bearing in the train that derailed in eastern Ohio. "We need to be notified whenever these trending detectors are seeing this car trend hotter. That way we can keep a better eye on it - or even stop inspecting that rail car," Whitaker said.
******* Instead, train companies want to keep their trains moving even if possible problems are spotted, he testified. *******
Surprise?
Not really.
I told you all, from the beginning, that there is NO WAY IN HELL they didn't KNOW the train was on fire or at least in some kind of trouble.
They weren't. paying. attention.
As I said from the beginning, there were only three conclusions we could draw about the wreck:
1. The crew KNEW and did nothing (on their own responsibility)--this one is now discounted since it says the crew never knew about the overheating wheel.
2. The crew KNEW and notified DISPATCH, who told them to keep going. This one is "sort of" true, since Atlanta OPERATIONS (NOT DISPATCH--they're different--I'll get to that in a minute) could have seen on the computer that heat warnings were going off even though the defect detector hadn't tripped yet. I STILL THINK this is a DISTINCT possibility--given that ALL VIDEO (and AUDIO???) transmissions leading up to the wreck are now just...............gone.
****3. THE CREW NEVER KNEW BECAUSE DISPATCH SCREWED UP AND DIDN'T WARN THEM. (maybe--and still the fault of the dispatch and Operations if true)--this or # 2 have been my suspicion since the beginning, given the new "Precision Scheduled Railroading NS adopted in 2018 as its operating rule--and now the ONLY thing that matters is MOVE MORE FREIGHT QUICKER AND GET IT TO ITS DESTINATION ON TIME SAFETY BE DAMNED!!!"
THIS LAST ONE IS NOW HIGHLY LIKELY TO BE THE CASE-- especially given the story about what came out in testimony where it nearly happened AGAIN:
"Several days after East Palestine we almost had a similar incident in the Cleveland area on Norfolk Southern," Whitaker told the senators.
"The train dispatcher (in Atlanta) came on and said, 'Hey, we have a report on the trending defect detector on the train. We need you to stop and inspect it.'
"Immediately after that, the chief dispatcher - which is the person that controls the whole railroad - told them to keep going."
How did the crew discover there was a problem?
A train going the opposite direction on a parallel track radioed and said, "Hey, your trains on fire. Wow, stop your train," Whitaker testified.
By the way--the STORY IS INCORRECT regarding one thing--ATLANTA DISPATCH may have been able to SEE the readings, but ATLANTA would NOT have been the dispatch office the CREW was reporting to all the way up in Pennsylvania / Ohio. My son, who listens on his scanners to the crews / dispatch for both NS and CSX (all day long--which is how I have learned a lot just listening to the broadcasts, since his speakers are right next to the kitchen where I usually am when I'm not at work) told me the FARTHEST he's heard Atlanta DISPATCH actually directing trains has been to mid-south Georgia and a little ways into Alabama. He says just a SHORT ways north of Atlanta, the dispatch from SPARTANBURG, SC takes over directing the trains heading north out of the Atlanta yard.
KittyKatChic
Senior Member
Water cleanup underway
Water cleanup underway
The City of Huntington helping to clean toxic water a year after a train derailment in East Palestine.
www.wsaz.com
The City of Huntington helping to clean toxic water a year after a train derailment in East Palestine
By Ariana MintzPublished: Feb. 11, 2024 at 10:22 AM EST|Updated: 6 hours ago
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - About a year ago, a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio contaminated a large amount of the area with toxic chemicals. The City of Huntington, issuing permits to help make sure the water in the Ohio River stays clean.
Brain Bracey, Executive Director of the Water Quality Board, said “The City of Huntington and the Sanitary Board issued a permit- a discharge permit- specific for Valicor for discharging the East Palestine water- groundwater that is collected on the East Palestine site to be able to process that and discharge it to the Huntington Sanitation Board wastewater treatment plant.”
This means that after water goes through the East Palestine part of the process, it gets passed along to Huntington.
Bracey said Norfolk Southern is responsible for collecting rainwater in the contaminated area which means “they had to collect all the water that’s on that site- and then store it- before it would be allowed to be discharged into the river to make sure that it’s uncontaminated.”
Valicor’s Huntington location is then ready to receive water to help make sure the water is clean.
Bracey said once Valicor is done with its part in the restoration process, it goes over to the Huntington Sanitation Board Waste Water Treatment Plant.
Once the cleaning process is done --the water will go back into the Ohio River.
So, the local polito's decided that lining their pockets with government money to "clean" the contaminated water is a great idea. The city with the infrastructure so up to date that when it rains most, if not all, the local viaducts flood. What could possibly go wrong with a system so old that even street debris causes the system to overflow. Bet that this ends up another disaster.