Norfolk Southern Railroad is reminding members of the community of what it has done to “make things right” as the National Transportation Safety Board begins a two-day hearing on the February 3rd fiery derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine.

Thursday morning, Norfolk Southern’s Corporate Communications sent out an email to media outlets claiming that the railroad is making progress by “advancing safety initiatives, remediating the derailment site, and engaging our unions.”

In addition to noting that it has committed more than $62 million to the region’s economy since the accident, Norfolk Southern says it is supporting the community through initiatives such as a promised $25 million investment in a revitalization plan for a park in East Palestine, opening a family assistance center in the village, and donating a historic train depot to the town.

The railroad says it has adopted a six-point operational safety plan, additionally claiming that CEO Alan Shaw is advocating for legislation.

The email says that Norfolk Southern is working with government officials to complete a long-term remediation plan around the crash site, noting that testing by the Ohio and U.S. Environmental Protection Agencies have indicated that the air and water are safe.

Norfolk Southern says 72,546 tons of waste soil, and more than 21.4 million gallons of contaminants and contaminated liquid have been removed while remediation on both the north and south tracks continue.

Appointing an independent safety consultant to conduct a review, Norfolk Southern says Atkins Nuclear Secured was hired to identify safety enhancement possibilities.

Claiming that it has reached out to the dozen unions representing its workers, Norfolk Southern says it has negotiated paid sick leave and is working on safety initiatives.

The railroad’s email comes as the NTSB prepared for a two-day investigative field hearing beginning Thursday morning in East Palestine. 

The board will hear testimony from dozens of entities as it continues to work on a final report to determine the cause of the East Palestine derailment. 

This will all be streamed on the NTSB's YouTube channel. That stream starts at 9:00 a.m. and can be found here.