Update: NTSB has released its preliminary report on the disastrous trail derailment in a small Ohio town. The Board concluded that a overheated wheel bearing in the 23rd car contributed to the accident. Detectors registered the overheating, at one point 253 degrees above normal. The crew applied the brakes after an alarm sounded, but the train was unable to stop before derailing. Overheating ignited a car containing plastic pellets. According to the investigators there is no evidence the train was exceeding the 50mph speed limit. First responders detonated five tank cars containing vinyl chloride that contaminated the town and surroundings in order to avoid a BLEVE.
Herr Trumpillini visited Palestine last week, where he handed out bottles of water branded with his name. Voters there supported the huckster in the 2020 election that was not stolen by Joe Biden. But It was his government that delayed implementation of a regulation requiring more modern brakes on freight trains. EPA has taken over the clean up and remediation and said it would Norfolk Southern responsible for the cost.
{16.02.2023}The train derailment in Palestine, OH has been in the news cycle for weeks since it occurred on February 3rd. Ten of the car were tankers caring hazardous chemicals. Some leaked or burned during the accident while three were blown up three days later to prevent a BLEVE BLEVE stands for "boiling liquid evaporative vapors explosion. A BLEVE is frightening as well as destructive--think of a giant napalm bomb exploding before your eyes. Among the toxic chemicals released into the atmosphere were butyl acrylate and vinyl chloride. Residents of East Palestine were evacuated but allowed to return after the EPA said it was safe to do so two days later. Residents have reported burning eyes, sore throats and headaches. About 3500 fish died in nearby creeks after the incident. Many residents are still confused about whether their water and air are actually safe. Pets and livestock are experiencing illnesses, owners say are related to the released toxins. The governor has recommended residents drink bottled water.
 |
| credit: AP |
A contentious town meeting took place on Wednesday in which the train's operator, Norfolk Southern, failed to make an appearance. "They have something to hide. You don't back out of questions if you know how to answer them," East Palestine resident Jaime Cozza told reporters. "It was like a bomb went through our town." NFS cited safety concerns when they announced company representatives would not be attending just hours before the meeting. Some residents are banding together to hire their own experts and attorney to examine water and air safety.
The Leverreports that a lack of safety equipment contributed to the accident. The NTSB announced at a press conference a failed rail car axle caused the accident, but has not yet released its findings. The design of the brakes on the derailedment date from 1868, which operate on air pressure moving through the train, consequently it takes time for the brakes to actuate in the rear. The train was not quipped with modern pneumatic brakes that are fully electric, nor was the train regulated as a "high-hazard flammable train". Records show the company lobbied against more stringent regulation with the result that many trains carrying toxic chemicals were exempted from the high hazard category. The same industry-friendly result occurred with regard to electrically controlled pneumatic brakes, which the railroad once touted at a Congressional hearing as a technological development that would significantly reduce stopping distance. When the federal government moved to make the new brakes mandatory, the industry rebelled. Their' lobby group was successful in getting the Trump regime to rescind the new brake requirement, and it has not been reinstated by the Biden administration. ECP brakes are still required on high-hazard trains, which are limited mostly to those pulling petroleum tanks. A spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board has confirmed that the wreck was not equipped with ECP brakes. A former member of the Federal Railroad Administration told The Lever ECP brakes would have reduced the severity of the Palestine derailment. The industry donated $6 million to GOP political campaigns in 2017. Apparently it was money well spent*, and a lot less expensive than buying new brakes.
*Norfolk Southern authorized a ten billion dollar stock buy-back that benefits stockholders, including company executives, while neglecting rail repairs and denying workers paid sick days. It made $4.7 billion in operating profits in 2022. In 2005 another NFS train derailed in Graniteville, South Carolina releasing a cloud of chlorine gas and diesel fuel. The town was evacuated. Crops were damaged, wildlife killed, and nine people died. The company spent $26 million in remediation after being taken to court for violating the Clean Water Act.