‘I’m Angry’: Sherrod Brown Blames Corporate Greed for Ohio Derailment

Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown said there is “no question” that Norfolk Southern is fully responsible for the train derailment in his home state of Ohio that killed three people and left a community in fear for their health and safety. The train was carrying vinyl chloride and other carcinogens, and residents are concerned that the chemicals are leaching into the surrounding water, soil, and air.

Brown blamed Norfolk Southern for laying off vital workers, prioritizing profit over caution, and lobbying for lax safety regulations — all of which he said contributed to the crash. “Everything that’s happened here, all the cleanup, all the drilling, all the testing, all the hotel stays, all of that is on Norfolk Southern. They caused it,” Brown said during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday. “There’s no question they caused it with this derailment, because they underinvested in their employees.”

Brown went on to say that as he understands it, there were only three full-time Norfolk Southern employees on the derailed 150-car train “because they have laid off so many people.” Unions alleged in 2021 that as a result of workforce layoffs, engineers were being forced into performing duties belonging to conductors and brakemen — a violation of their contract.

“That’s why I’m angry, when I look at these companies lay people off,” Brown said. “They never look out for their workers. They never look out for their communities. They look out for stock buybacks and dividends. Something’s wrong with corporate America, and something’s wrong with Congress and administrations listening too much to corporate lobbyists. That’s got to change.”

The senator went on to explain how corporate lobbyists push for weakened rules when a conservative president is in the White House. “Every time there’s a new administration, particularly a more conservative one that’s more pro-corporate, they put all these regulations on the table about safety, about worker safety, community safety, the environment, consumer protections, and, at the behest of lobbyists, far too often, they weaken those laws,” Brown explained.

Under President Donald Trump, the Department of Transportation (DOT) rolled back an Obama-era rule that would have required trains carrying high-hazard cargo to use advanced braking systems instead of the Civil War-era brakes many trains use now. That rule, however, would not have applied to the Norfolk Southern train that derailed in Ohio because of how DOT narrowly defines a high-hazard flammable unit train.

Brown also addressed residents’ distrust of recent state and federal assessments declaring water in the area as safe to drink. “We think the water’s safe,” Brown said. “But when you return to your home, you should be tested again for your water and your soil and your air, not to mention those that have their own wells.”

At a recent town hall with government officials and representatives from Norfolk Southern, one resident yelled, “Why are people getting sick if there’s nothing in the air or in the water?!” Numerous local residents have reported suffering rashes, headaches, watering eyes, and other symptoms in the days following the crash. Brown said that Norfolk Southern has promised to “essentially [make] everybody whole.”

“It’s going to be tens of millions, maybe hundreds of millions of dollars in that community,” he said.