Is Norfolk Southern Putting Profit Over Safety Regulations? Explaining the East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment

Brian Wohlgemuth and Vaughn Spargur join me to explain the basics of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, where a Norfolk and Southern train carrying dangerous chemicals derailed and dumped about 50 cars on the ground. 

Video - https://youtu.be/Rg29Hoax2KA 

Despite the severity of the incident, the mainstream media coverage has been inadequate but has shown the power of alt media to hold mainstream media more accountable. 

We discuss the concerns around the chemicals being released and the lack of trust in the EPA to handle the situation. Additionally, we touched on other pollution issues in Ohio, including Superfund sites. People are getting their testing done privately due to distrust of the EPA's testing practices, and the administration has been largely absent.

The episode also covered a New York Times article that discussed Norfolk Southern's profits and accident rates. The article revealed that the company paid shareholders nearly 18 billion dollars through stock buybacks and dividends in the past five years, twice the amount invested in railways and operations. The company neglected to invest in safety regulations, such as modern braking systems and stronger tank cars. A recent train wreck raised questions about the company's safety protocols and inspection practices, and the recent strike was partially due to safety concerns. 

We also discuss the controversy surrounding a 2015 safety regulation requiring electronically controlled pneumatic brakes for certain high-hazard flammable trains carrying at least 20 consecutive cars filled with liquid liquids like crude oil. The Trump administration repealed the rule in 2018 after lobbying by the railroad industry. According to experts, this rule wouldn't have mattered with this accident.

Transcript - https://share.descript.com/view/7tZiR8OdLBx 

Lysander Boomer Thread - https://twitter.com/LysanderBoomer/status/1624935878639353856 

Norfolk Southern’s Profits and Accident Rates Rose in Recent Years - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/17/business/energy-environment/norfolk-southern-derailment-safety.html 

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