Thanks for following and sharing my coverage on the Norfolk Southern Disaster in East Palestine. Some quick updates. My coverage will focus mainly on *why* this happened and what it has to do with reckless corporate profit-seeking. The best reporting I’ve seen on the chemical release angle is from Nick Drom on TikTok.
I have good sources from rail workers but need more. If you’re a rail worker or know someone who is, please have them get in touch. I will make every effort to protect identities. I want people who can tell me what it’s like to work under current conditions.
I’ll be headed up to East Palestine tomorrow (Wednesday) for a town hall. Let me know what you’d like to see from that.
The NTSB investigation into the cause of the derailment will take a while. My plan is to follow it as it unfolds. I also plan to layer in the perspective of people in working-class jobs living in the evacuation zone without much choice to relocate. This bucket includes most people close to the disaster.
If you have something relevant to the above, get in touch! Email is heyjohnrussell@gmail.com. Share to anyone!
I saw some good coverage from a meteorologist on twitter jacob wycoff. from the area. I’d like to know if the low cloud ceiling inversion was anticipated and how we can expect to find some of these chemicals in our soils etc in the future. Where are they likely to appear?
Yes this. My coverage is going to focus mainly on the corporate practices that could have influenced the cause of the derailment. Definitely check out Nick Drom for the pollution angle.
What kind of accountability mechanism can Ohioans engage in? Gov. DeWine said in his presser today that he learned from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio that the train was NOT considered a high hazardous train per reporting from Norfolk Southern, meaning the railroad was NOT required to disclose to Ohio what was in the train cars. To this point, he said: "If this is true, this is absurd." DeWine said this is up to Congress to solve and that there's not much the Governor/state can do to take action against Norfolk. He did note that if Norfolk did NOT fully clean up and pay for the mess, "We have an attorney general" and that lawsuits are on the table. But outside of a tweetstorm to elected officials....Do you think getting OSHA to further limit the "permissible exposure" of these volatile organic compounds is a potential path forward to get better working conditions for railroad workers and all others working around these dangerous substances?
I'm interested to know how the driver of this train is doing and how he feels about this whole thing.
What kind of extra support can they help provide for people both having to move and ones that have no choice but to stay? And if they realize by doing some of the things that they have done and haven't done that not only did they endanger the people of these communities but, also their own employees? And I'd like to hear how some of the other people involved in this feel. Employees of NF, residents of EP and surrounding communities and their stories. It would be nice to hear from people staying, leaving, working in this and around this situation and from the newsnation reporter that was arrested. I'd love to know how he's doing now. Just thinking. So many thoughts on this issue. Thank you!
I saw some good coverage from a meteorologist on twitter jacob wycoff. from the area. I’d like to know if the low cloud ceiling inversion was anticipated and how we can expect to find some of these chemicals in our soils etc in the future. Where are they likely to appear?
Failing that - just stick it straight to them on the buybacks. Sick culture.
Yes this. My coverage is going to focus mainly on the corporate practices that could have influenced the cause of the derailment. Definitely check out Nick Drom for the pollution angle.
What kind of accountability mechanism can Ohioans engage in? Gov. DeWine said in his presser today that he learned from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio that the train was NOT considered a high hazardous train per reporting from Norfolk Southern, meaning the railroad was NOT required to disclose to Ohio what was in the train cars. To this point, he said: "If this is true, this is absurd." DeWine said this is up to Congress to solve and that there's not much the Governor/state can do to take action against Norfolk. He did note that if Norfolk did NOT fully clean up and pay for the mess, "We have an attorney general" and that lawsuits are on the table. But outside of a tweetstorm to elected officials....Do you think getting OSHA to further limit the "permissible exposure" of these volatile organic compounds is a potential path forward to get better working conditions for railroad workers and all others working around these dangerous substances?
This is just such an excellent comment. I don't have an answer yet on this but I'll be following up on it as the story unfolds. Thanks Marisa!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/ohio-train-survivors-2023
I'm interested to know how the driver of this train is doing and how he feels about this whole thing.
What kind of extra support can they help provide for people both having to move and ones that have no choice but to stay? And if they realize by doing some of the things that they have done and haven't done that not only did they endanger the people of these communities but, also their own employees? And I'd like to hear how some of the other people involved in this feel. Employees of NF, residents of EP and surrounding communities and their stories. It would be nice to hear from people staying, leaving, working in this and around this situation and from the newsnation reporter that was arrested. I'd love to know how he's doing now. Just thinking. So many thoughts on this issue. Thank you!