EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan tried to reassure residents during a Thursday visit to the area concerned about the aftereffects of the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train, saying he would feel comfortable returning to the area based on results of ongoing air and water testing.
“I trust the science. I trust the methodology,” Regan told reporters, according to a report by Cleveland.com. “I want this community to know, they don’t have to manage this issue on their own. We are going to get through this as a team. And at the same time, we are absolutely going to hold Norfolk Southern accountable.”
The EPA continues to make home screenings available for those who want air testing within their residences, is working with the Ohio EPA and local agencies to ensure those who rely on private wells can get their water tested, and urged those experiencing health issues they think are related to the derailment to contact public health authorities.
In other developments:
— U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Akron), the only Ohio member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said in a statement that she has asked the committee’s Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials to hold a hearing to “investigate” the East Palestine derailment.
In a letter to subcommittee Chairman Troy Nehls (R-Texas) and Ranking Member Donald Payne Jr. (D-N.J.), asked for the hearing “provide clarity on the origin of this accident, identify all avenues available to support the people and communities most impacted, and determine how to implement guard rails and preventative measures to stop a disaster like this from happening again.”
— Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has requested the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention send medical experts to East Palestine “to evaluate and counsel members of the community who have questions and/or are experiencing symptoms” in the wake of the derailment and chemical release. WKYC-TV reports DeWine made the request in a letter to the CDC, writing that some residents “have already seen physicials in the area but remain concerned about their condition and possible health effects, both short- and long-term.”
Ohio’s two U.S. senators, Sherrod Brown (D) and JD Vance (R), along with Sykes and U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, the Republican whose district includes East Palestine, co-authored a letter to the CDC and Department of Health and Human Services reinforcing the governor’s request and outlining a half-dozen ways for Health and Human Services to participate, including “an epidemiological assessment so that members of the East Palestine community and surrounding area have accurate information on the potential health impacts” of the chemicals released.
— Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw released an open letter to the residents of East Palestine on Thursday in which he vowed that the railroad “will stay here for as long as it takes to ensure your safety and to help East Palestine recover and thrive.”
Shaw said the railroad has established a $1 million community support fund “as a down payment on our commitment to help rebuild” — more information on that is available here — and promised to offer continued updates.
“I know there are still a lot of questions without answers,” Shaw wrote. “I know you’re tired. I know you’re worried. We will not let you down.”
The railroad also updated its ongoing cleanup and community assistance efforts, which include removal of 3,150 cubic yards of contaminated soil and 942,000 gallons of contaminants and contaminated liquid from the accident site. Other actions include more than $1.7 million in direct financial assistance to families and businesses, it said.
— Presidential Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a Thursday media briefing that the Biden administration is “going to try to figure out an answer to what occurred” in East Palestine.
“We’re going to hold Norfolk Southern accountable,” Jean-Pierre said. “And right now … our message to the folks in Ohio, in that area, is to listen to your state and local officials. It’s important to listen to them, to allow them to do their work. And we are going to do everything that we can to keep that community and healthy and safe and get to the bottom of this as well.”
Jean-Pierre also noted that DeWine had asked for additional public health assistance and said, “We’re deploying teams from HHS and the CDC now.”
Now we know how NOT to handle a derailment disaster. Everyone failed because most didn’t know what to do.
I thought that Chemtrec was the place to go. If not they should develop protocols for each HAX MAT spill, fire, pressure release, or other spill as to handle.
Correction,
Should have read, were promised
-can you imagine if the RR had been a short line?
Now the fled the scene by uncoupling locos from train. (very wise ) . Now take this with oly an engineer in loco. How long would he wait for the traveling conductor ? Stupid question. First the engineer would have to bail the loocos, then back them against first car, then walk back to loco(s) end wnknown what he might walk on or would have to travel thru locos, pull the pin, walk back and go forward, OOPS the pin fell down and did not uncouple, Repeat wash and dry.
Now with second man he pulls pin and radios to go ahead.
It’s been pointed out that FEMA and other Fed agencies became directly involved in the city water crisis in Michigan back in 2016 under Obama’s orders. So the precedent has been set for FEMA and the Feds to handle this crisis.
From a political standpoint I don’t understand the reluctance to do so. Maybe Mayor Pete’s saying its all Trump’s fault shows his party believes it can get political mileage out of the incident. I don’t see it happening but then I’m not a politician.
Sort of a side issue, just an ongoing burr in my saddle:
Regarding the photo: Hi-Viz vest and hard hat without safety glasses is just theater. You might as well dress in a business suit.
I have heard several politicians claim hazardous materials are too dangerous to transport by rail and that pipelines are safer than rail (as if there are chemical pipelines) I seem to recall a few years ago a railroad threatening to refuse to carry certain chemicals that were inhalation hazards due to the almost unlimited liability. As I also recall the government said they could not refuse under their common carrier obligations. This has gotten so silly that a Fox News commenter likened the derailment to a “war on lower middle class white people. As long as things are transported by any means, there will be accidents.
Kipp,
I watched the replay of that Fox News commentator when he said that, I think he was referring to the response to the derailment (the collective shoulder shrugging) as opposed to the actual derailment itself.
Everyone, anyone living near a railroad is subject to the materials they transport. This consist could have been hauling lumber and it would be a pimple on the cheek of the world. The overall response has been more inline with that kind of spill.
But becuase it was a load of toxic chemicals, the collective response has been somewhat short of what citizens expect from their authority who regulates railroads.
This is a environmental disaster, crisis after crisis with this administration also not doing their job, putting people in high level positions that have no business being there, caused they where promise, not what experience they have. (IE- Photo Ops)
When will the true leaders step up to the plate. So sad!
NS will be paying for a long time as for they should not just money but well-being and this so call administration and the government needs to be accountable too and do what is right, all need to take care of our Americans.
The root issue here is “who is in charge?”
When the town mayor stands in front of a camera and says he is overwhelmed and not equipped to deal with it on behalf of his citizens, it tells you that NO ONE is in charge, everyone is simply looking and pointing at the other silos and saying “ask them”.
– NS says they are taking care of the wreck and will monitor
– The US-EPA director does a photo op
– Ohio EPA puts out pressers
– Where is FEMA?
– The governors’ of Ohio and Pennsylvania tried to take responsibility, until it became politically inconvenient to do so due to the way everyone else was dealing with it.
– In typical federal politics, the FRA and DOT fall silent when a disaster occurs
In the corporate world we call that spreading the blame, because by doing so it also spreads out the risk.
NS and their insurance companies will be paying in the long run. The hot box detection and video that captured the failure will no doubt implicate them in court if they don’t do a mega-million settlement upfront.
FEMA was not included because it wasn’t declared an emergency by the Ohio Governor or a Federal Emergency by Pres Biden.
Perhaps the Ohio Governor didn’t declare it an emergency for the reason you state: It became politically inconvenient for him to do so because of possible fall out by doing so. It wasn’t in PA so their Governor really didn’t have to do anything except find fault with Ohio’s Governor but he (Ohio Gov) didn’t give The PA Governor a chance
Did I read where someone suggested “a guard rail to help prevent something like this again”….A guard rail…really?
Figuratively speaking – as in policies & procedures, not an actual, physical guardrail. I’ve been noticing a marked increase in the use of that term lately for a variety of things.
I hear Senator Vance challenged Regan to drink a glass of the local water,after he declared it safe. He refused. This was horribly mishandled by the feds,should be declared an environmental disaster.