Norfolk Southern CEO to testify before Senate committee about East Palestine derailment

NBC News is reporting that Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has agreed to testify about the East Palestine train derailment before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee next week.
The hearing is expected to take place in Washington on Thursday, March 9, according to the report.
Word of Shaw's testimony comes after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke on the Senate floor Tuesday, calling on the railroad CEO to testify under oath before the committee.
Echoing a declaration made by National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy, the Democrat said that accident has been deemed “one hundred percent preventable”.
Accusing the railroad of pushing the federal government and Trump administration to repeal safety regulations, Schumer also said that CEO Shaw should explain why Norfolk Southern laid off thousands of workers while reporting more than $3 billion in profits last year.
U.S. Senators from both sides of the political aisle announced on Wednesday that they planned to introduce the Railway Safety Act of 2023, today to prevent future train mishaps like the derailment in East Palestine.
Senators JD Vance (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), along with Senators Rubio (R-FL), Hawley (R-MO), Casey (D-PA), and Fetterman (D-PA), issued a statement saying the bill will take a number of key steps to improve rail safety protocols, such as enhancing safety procedures for trains carrying hazardous materials, establishing requirements for wayside defect detectors, creating a permanent requirement for railroads to operate with at least two-person crews, and increasing fines for wrongdoing