Community meetings also planned
WASHINGTON (Feb. 7, 2024) — The National Transportation Safety Board announced today that it will return to East Palestine, Ohio, on June 25 for its final board meeting on the 2023 train derailment and subsequent hazardous material release and fires.
During the public meeting, NTSB board members will vote on the final findings, probable cause, and recommendations. The board will also vote on any changes to the draft final report.
The NTSB board meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 25 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time at East Palestine High School, 360 West Grant Street in East Palestine. The public can attend in person or watch a livestream on the NTSB YouTube channel.
Also, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy is planning two community meetings on June 24 and 25 at East Palestine High School. The meetings will provide an opportunity for the public to ask about the NTSB and its investigative process. Times and details to come.
“The NTSB is returning to East Palestine for our final board meeting for the same reasons we went last summer: Because the communities most affected by this tragedy deserve to hear our findings in-person and in real-time,” Homendy said.
Media planning to attend the board meeting and/or the community meetings in person should RSVP at mediarelations@ntsb.gov.
On Feb. 3, 2023, an eastbound Norfolk Southern train derailed railcars on main track 1 in East Palestine. The derailed equipment included 11 tank cars carrying hazardous materials that subsequently ignited, fueling fires that damaged an additional 12 non-derailed railcars. First responders implemented a 1-mile evacuation zone surrounding the derailment site that affected up to 2,000 residents. There were no reported fatalities or injuries.
The NTSB held a two-day investigative hearing last June in East Palestine as part of the agency’s investigation. The NTSB has released in the accident docket more than 1,800 pages of factual information, such as factual reports, interview transcripts and other investigative materials. Documents from the June 2023 hearing are available in the hearing docket, which contains over 5,000 pages of information, including the complete hearing transcripts.
See our East Palestine investigation webpage for more details.
To report an incident/accident or if you are a public safety agency, please call 1-844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 to speak to a Watch Officer at the NTSB Response Operations Center (ROC) in Washington, DC (24/7).
