Norfolk Southern

The first day of the National Transportation Safety Board's investigative hearings into the East Palestine train derailment covered hazard communications, emergency responder preparedness and the decision to vent and burn the vinyl chloride in five tank cars.

East Palestine residents have expressed distrust in government agencies since the train derailment in February. However, with the National Transportation Safety Board in town for investigative hearings, residents are saying they trust the agency and appreciate its transparency.

Norfolk Southern is working on a master plan to renovate East Palestine City Park. The village's city council approved the revitalization plan this week.

Plant tissue samples taken from agricultural areas around East Palestine show no contamination from the train derailment in February. Some residents have questioned whether the list of compounds they were tested for was complete while experts said the tests are appropriate.

Three months aft the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, President and CEO Alan Shaw said the company isn't leaving the small town on the Pennsylvania border any time soon.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture and Ohio State University collected and tested plant tissue samples from 16 agricultural areas in Columbiana County.

No injuries were reported after nine railcars from a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in Pennsylvania, with no hazardous chemicals on board, fire department and company officials said.

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw said he'll push for more rail safety regulations after the toxic train crash on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, but he balked at one specific one that's now in Ohio law.

The Feb. 3 train derailment in East Palestine has raised questions about the safety of freight rail companies. Two bills in Congress aim to fix that and would regulate wayside defect detectors.

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed suit against Norfolk Southern claiming that the company's Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, violated the Clean Water Act.