Another train operated by embattled railroad company Norfolk Southern has derailed, this time in Alabama.
The train derailed just hours before the CEO of Norfolk Southern testified this week before Congress about his railwayโs apparent difficulty staying on the tracks.
According to the Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency, over 30 cars headed west from Atlanta derailed at approximately 6:45 a.m. on Thursday.
The incident occurred in Iron City near the White Plains area.
โThere was no injuries, no fire, and no road blockagesโ due to the train derailment, Calhoun County EMA director Myles Chambleeย said.
โFortunately, there were no hazardous materials with this, and we were able to work with Norfolk Southern, the county sheriffโs office, the Quad Cites fire department, the Oxford fire department, and were able to respond effectively,โ Chamblee added.
Fire departments left the scene at 2:30 p.m., leaving Norfolk Southern personnel to continue with cleanup efforts.
Calhoun County Sheriffโs Office Lt. Falon Hurst noted that railway traffic will be disrupted for some time,ย reportedย the Anniston Star.
โItโs torn the tracks all up,โ said Hurst.
While rail traffic may be backed up, White Plains is reportedly not facing an ecological disaster like East Palestine, Ohio.
In East Palestine, a Norfolk Southern train carrying 141 loaded cars derailed.
The train wreck and resulting explosion ultimately released toxic chemicals into the air and surrounding streams.
Norfolk Southern spokesman Connor Spielmakerย told reporters that none of the 37 cars that derailed in White Plains contained hazardous materials.
However, two are designated โresidue hazardous material carsโ because they recently carried hazardous materials.
โThey did not breach,โ said Spielmaker.
โThere is no hazardous material leak.
โThere is no risk at all to the public.โ
๐จ#BREAKING: A Norfolk Southern train has derailed as this is the company's third such incident since early Febโฐ
๐#Calhoun | #AlabamaOfficials are reporting about approximately 30 Norfolk Southern cars have derailed off its tracks this morning. Fire officials saying there isโฆ pic.twitter.com/Nf4PmDaWK5
โ R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 9, 2023
Shortly after this latest derailment, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testified to Congress.
During his testimony, Shaw said his railway has spent a great deal of money in recent years.
Yet, Norfolk Southern has greased politiciansโ hands to the tune of nearly $100 million since 1990.
According toย Open Secrets, Norfolk Southern spent $1.8 million lobbying last year and $1.6 million the year before.
Since 1998, the rail company has spent over $79 million on lobbying efforts.
Norfolk Southern has also made $16,948,996 in political contributions.
That money has made its way to both sides of the aisle.
The company favored Democratic congressional candidates 55.27% to 44.72%.
But the company doled out hundreds of thousands of dollars to persons of all political persuasions who may one day be called to hold it accountable.
Despite its previous investment, Shaw was raked over the coals by members of both parties.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) said, โThe company followed the Wall Street business model: Boost profits by cutting costs at all costs.
โThe consequences for places like East Palestine be damned.โ
Brown pointed out that the railway had cut its workforce back by 38% over the past 10 years while spending $3.4 billion on stock buybacks,ย reportedย the New York Post.
โThatโs money that could have gone to hiring inspectors, to putting more hotbox detectors along its rail lines, to having more workers available to repair cars and repair tracks,โ added Brown.
Republican Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) lambasted the railway firm.
โThis is an industry that enjoys special subsidies that almost no industry enjoys,โ said Vance, who was one of the first lawmakers on the scene in East Palestine.
โThis is an industry that enjoys special legal carve-outs that almost no industry enjoys.โ
โNow theyโre claiming before the Senate and the House that our reasonable regulation is somehow a violation of the free market,โ added Vance.
โWell, pot, meet the kettle, because that doesnโt make an ounce of sense.
โYou cannot claim special government privileges, you cannot ask the government to bail you out, and then resist basic public safety.
Shaw claimed he was โdeeply sorry โฆ for the impact this derailment had on the residents of East Palestine and the surrounding communities.โ
โI am determined to make this right,โ said Shaw.
โNorfolk Southern will clean the site safely, thoroughly, and with urgency.
โYou have my personal commitment.
โNorfolk Southern will get the job done and help East Palestine thrive.โ
Shaw noted that Norfolk Southern had pledged $21 million in assistance to East Palestine alone.
In the small Ohio town, 1.1 million gallons of water and 15,000 pounds of soil were contaminated.
During the incident, a trench warfare gas once used as a weapon of mass slaughter was released overhead.
โI want to begin today by expressing how deeply sorry I am for the impact this derailment has had on the residents of East Palestine and the surrounding communitiesโฆI am determined to make this right," Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testifies. https://t.co/kwrZOqrsFQ pic.twitter.com/na6d5Ns6AT
โ World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) March 9, 2023
Norfolk Southern Railroadย just celebratedย โdouble-digit percentage growth in revenue and โฆ record revenue and operating income,โ noting in its end-of-year financial report that it had raked in $12.7 billion in 2022, up 14% over the previous year.
The railway managed this despiteย reportedlyย accounting for over half the hazmat damages involving rail transportation in the U.S. last year.
The New York Timesย reportedย that the rate of accidents on the companyโs railway has increased in each of the last four years.
Norfolk Southern recently saw major derailments on March 4 in Springfield, Ohio, and February 16 in Van Buren Township outside Detroit, Michigan.
Witness video shows the moment a cargo train starts to derail in Springfield, Ohio. Still unknown what the train was carrying pic.twitter.com/Sxsr6XhmAp
โ BNO News Live (@BNODesk) March 4, 2023
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