New York CNN —Norfolk Southern on Tuesday faced harsh criticism from regulators for its decisions immediately after a February 2023 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Norfolk Southern told public officials who authorized the controlled burn, known as a vent and burn procedure, that it was the only way to prevent a catastrophic and uncontrolled explosion. But Stancil said that information was not communicated to the public officials who had to make the final decision. “Norfolk Southern… compromised the integrity of the vent and burn decision by withholding complete and accurate expert opinion and information from the incident commander,” Stancil said. “Several key factors indicated the strong possibility of a catastrophic, uncontrolled explosion.”“The vent and burn effectively avoided a potential uncontrolled explosion,” Norfolk said elsewhere in its statement.

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Persons: Paul Stancil, Stancil, ” Stancil, ”, Jennifer Homendy, “ Organizations: New, New York CNN, Norfolk Southern, National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB, Oxy, Norfolk Locations: New York, East Palestine , Ohio, Norfolk, Norfolk Southern