WASHINGTON • Norfolk Southern’s CEO apologized before Congress on Thursday and pledged millions of dollars to help East Palestine, Ohio, recover from last month’s fiery, hazardous materials train derailment. But he stopped short of fully endorsing a Senate bill to toughen safety regulations.

CEO Alan Shaw said his railroad supports the goal of improving rail safety, but he also defended the railroad’s record.

He did back proposals to tighten standards for tank cars that the railroads don’t own, expand hazardous materials training for first responders and establish standards for the trackside detectors railroads use to spot problems.

“I’m terribly sorry for the impact this derailment has had on the folks of that community,” Shaw said.

“We’re going to be there for as long as it takes to help East Palestine thrive and recover.”

He pointed to a $20 million commitment to help the community recover. Norfolk Southern’s final financial responsibility is expected to run far beyond that after legal proceedings.

The company has announced several voluntary safety upgrades. Senators, however, have promised a pressing inquiry into the derailment, the Biden administration’s response and the company’s safety practices after the toppling of 38 railcars, including 11 carrying hazardous materials. Federal regulators have also said Norfolk Southern itself must do more to improve safety.

No one was injured in the crash, but state and local officials decided to release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from five tanker cars, prompting the evacuation of half of the roughly 5,000 residents of East Palestine.

Scenes of billowing smoke above the village, alongside an outcry from residents that they are still suffering from illnesses, have turned high-level attention to railroad safety and how dangerous materials are transported.

Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., the chair of the committee opened the hearing by calling it “an opportunity to put ourselves in the shoes of those impacted by this disaster, examine the immediate response and ensure long-term accountability for the cleanup efforts.”

Carper joined the top Republican on the committee, Sen. Shelley Capito of West Virginia, in a call with reporters on Wednesday to emphasize they would work in bipartisan fashion “to deliver accountability to the communities and folks who have been impacted.”

The East Palestine disaster as well as a spate of other recent train derailments have sparked a show of bipartisanship in the Senate. The committee on Thursday also heard from Ohio and Pennsylvania senators — Republican JD Vance and Democrats Sherrod Brown and Bob Casey — who are pushing new safety regulations called the Railway Safety Act of 2023.

“It shouldn’t take a train derailment for elected officials to put partisanship aside and work together for the people we serve – not corporations like Norfolk Southern,” Brown of Ohio said in remarks.

“Lobbyists for the rail companies spent years fighting every effort to strengthen rules to make our trains and rail lines safer. Now Ohioans are paying the price.”

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testifies Thursday before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing to examine protecting public health and the environment in the wake of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

The Associated Press