The Environmental Protection Agency ordered the operator responsible for the Ohio train derailment to take control of remediation efforts and pay for additional cleanup activities the agency plans to perform.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced the order Tuesday during a trip to East Palestine, where the 150-car train operated by Norfolk Southern carrying chemicals derailed earlier this month, resulting in the dissemination of toxic substances such as vinyl chloride into the local environment.
EAST PALESTINE DERAILMENT PROMPTS SCRUTINY OF FEDERAL RAIL REGULATIONS
“We are committed not only to stand here to see this job finished but to ensure that Norfolk Southern pays for it,” Regan said during a press conference.
Norfolk Southern will have to clean up all contamination in soil and water and transport contaminated materials to a safe location, Regan said.
The company will also be required to reimburse EPA for cleaning services it plans to undertake as a means to “provide an additional layer of reassurance” to local residents.
Regan announced the order during his second trip to East Palestine in less than a week, appearing Tuesday alongside Gov. Mike DeWine and neighboring Gov. Josh Shapiro. East Palestine is located just on the Ohio side of the border with Pennsylvania.
The officials sharply criticized Norfolk Southern for the incident and said its response has been deficient. The company pulled out of a recent community meeting about the derailment, citing concerns for employees’ safety.
“It is my view that Norfolk Southern wasn’t going to do this out of the goodness of their own heart. There’s not a lot of goodness in there,” Shapiro said, referring to the EPA’s cleanup order.
DeWine called for additional regulations to prevent similar incidents in the future while also stressing that local and federal authorities have performed multiple tests on drinking water supplies and determined it’s safe to consume.
The governor said he and others performed home visits in East Palestine on Tuesday, where they drank water from the local water supply.
Local residents have complained about abnormal health effects, including rashes, and dying pets since the crash occurred, leading to concerns that air, soil, and water quality is contaminated at levels not safe for residents.
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Regan said EPA and other officials who are telling residents that water and air quality is up to par are not discounting their health effects and asked that they seek medical care for any symptoms they think are related to the crash.
