(NewsNation) — The head of the National Transportation Safety Board accused Norfolk Southern of “unconscionable” interference in the federal investigation of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, including lying and making veiled threats.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said Wednesday on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” that the railroad delayed providing crucial information for months and attempted to circumvent investigators by directly approaching board members with unauthorized testing.
“It was interference with our investigation,” Homendy said. “And I’m putting them on notice that that’s not something that we’re okay with from any entity that works with the NTSB.”
Homendy also revealed that Norfolk Southern executives tried to pressure the NTSB to “put to rest” rumors about their decision-making, which she described as an “inappropriate request” delivered in a threatening manner.
The NTSB chair contradicted Norfolk Southern’s claim that the controlled burn of vinyl chloride was necessary, stating that the tank cars were “stabilized” and “in no danger” of exploding. She said the vent-and-burn procedure was “completely unnecessary” and that this information was not shared with key decision-makers.
In a statement to NewsNation, Norfolk Southern denied the accusations, stating they “cooperated fully and ethically with the investigation, with full transparency.”
The February 2023 derailment led to the release of over a million gallons of hazardous chemicals, raising concerns about the safety of thousands of nearby residents.
This video screenshot released by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows the site of a derailed freight train in East Palestine, Ohio, the United States. About 50 Norfolk Southern freight train cars derailed on the night of Feb. 3 in East Palestine, a town of 4,800 residents near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, due to a mechanical problem on an axle of one of the vehicles. There were a total of 20 hazardous material cars in the train consist, 10 of which derailed, according to the NTSB, a U.S. government agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. (NTSB/Handout via Xinhua) 
FILE – Debris from a Norfolk Southern freight train lies scattered and burning along the tracks on Feb. 4, 2023, the day after it derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. A federal judge has signed off Tuesday, May 21, 2024, on the $600 million class action settlement over last year’s disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment in eastern Ohio, but many people who live near East Palestine are still wondering how much they will end up with out of the deal. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) 
FILE – This image taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, that still burns after it derailed the night before in East Palestine, Ohio. The lawyers who negotiated a $600 million settlement with Norfolk Southern over that railroad’s disastrous 2023 derailment in eastern Ohio want residents to talk with them before deciding the historic deal isn’t enough. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) 
FILE – A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) 
FILE – This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio are still on fire at mid-day Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. The federal government filed a lawsuit Thursday, March 30, against railroad Norfolk Southern over environmental damage caused by a February derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border that spilled hazardous chemicals into nearby creeks and rivers. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
More than three dozen freight cars derailed Feb. 3, 2023, on the outskirts of East Palestine near the Pennsylvania border, including 11 carrying hazardous materials.
Some residents were evacuated that night, but days later, more had to leave their homes amid fears of an imminent explosion. Despite potential health effects, officials intentionally released and burned toxic vinyl chloride three days after the crash, sending flames and smoke into the air.
Homendy’s statements come as the NTSB concludes its investigation into the incident, which it says could have been entirely avoided.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
