E. Palestine derailment leads to new rule to protect train crews

WASHINGTON — Railroads will have to provide protective gear for crews on trains carrying hazardous materials under a new rule issued Thursday by the Federal Railroad Administration in response to the chemical spill after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, a year ago last month.

The new rule requires railroads to have emergency escape breathing apparatuses on board for employees who could breathe in toxic chemicals in the event of a derailment. The companies must make sure the equipment is properly working and train their employees on how to use it.

A spokeswoman for the Association of American Railroads, Jessica Kahanek, had no comment.

The FRA said the rule was a response to the February 2023 chemical spill after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.

Dozens of cars, many of them carrying toxic chemicals such as vinyl chloride, went off the tracks just over the Ohio-Pennsylvania border in February. That was followed by a controlled release and burn of toxic chemicals, which prompted the evacuation of the Ohio village and sent a plume of black smoke into the skies over Beaver County.

In September, President Joe Biden ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency to name a federal disaster recovery coordinator to oversee recovery efforts and determine what needs not addressed by the railroad would qualify for federal assistance. The coordinator also would work with state and local governments, the private sector and religious and other community groups.