train accidents

Local farmers are still struggling to convince customers that their products are safe following the toxic train derailment in East Palestine more than three months ago.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture and Ohio State University created a plant tissue sampling plan to check whether the February train derailment in East Palestine is impacting the region's agriculture.

The Railway Safety Act, which proposes tighter safety regulations for freight rail companies, was passed by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

The Assistance for Local Heroes During Train Crises Act would create a fund paid into by companies that ship and carry hazardous materials that would reimburse a community's emergency response to accidents.

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.

Firefighters from across Ohio trained on a mobile safety train at a Norfolk Southern rail yard in Bellevue. Norfolk Southern says it intends to set up a permanent training center in the state.

The legislation comes more than a month after the train derailment in East Palestine. Similar legislation was introduced in the Senate earlier this month.

Senators Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance introduced the Railway Safety Act earlier this month in response to the train derailment in East Palestine.

Officials from the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency say there's no indication East Palestine's agriculture system was impacted by February's rain derailment.