Ohio residents demand info as EPA chief visits spill site
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency got a firsthand look Thursday at a creek contaminated by a freight train derailment in Ohio that spilled toxic chemicals and burned in a huge plume over homes and businesses.
The visit by EPA Administrator Michael Regan, who stood along a waterway still reeking of chemicals nearly two weeks after the derailment, came a day after residents of the Ohio village of East Palestine packed a meeting and demanded to know if they’re safe.
Regan said he was confident that technology being used to clean up the mess would protect public health. But residents are frustrated by what they say is incomplete and vague information about the lasting effects from the disaster.
“I have three grandbabies,” said Kathy Dyke, who came with hundreds of neighbors to Wednesday’s meeting at a gymnasium. “Are they going to grow up here in five years and have cancer?”
State officials insisted yet again that testing shows the air is safe to breathe around East Palestine, where just under 5,000 people live near the Pennsylvania state line. They promised that air and water monitoring would continue.
Many who had waited in a long line snaking outside the gym came away frustrated that they didn’t hear anything new. Some booed or laughed each time they heard the village mayor or state health director assure them that lingering odors from the the huge plumes of smoke aren’t dangerous and the water is fine to drink.
In the nearly two weeks since the derailment forced evacuations, residents have complained about suffering from headaches and irritated eyes and finding their cars and lawns covered in soot. The hazardous chemicals that spilled from the train killed thousands of fish, and residents have talked about finding dying or sick pets and wildlife.
Those attending Wednesday’s informational session, originally billed as a town hall meeting, had many questions over health hazards, and demanded more transparency from Norfolk Southern.
“They just danced around the questions a lot,” said Danielle Deal, who lives a few miles from the derailment site. “Norfolk needed to be here.”
In a statement, Norfolk Southern said it didn’t attend alongside local, state and federal officials because of a “growing physical threat to our employees and members of the community around this event.”
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost advised Norfolk Southern on Wednesday that his office is considering legal action.
Norfolk Southern announced Tuesday that it is creating a $1 million fund to help the community while continuing remediation work. It also will expand how many residents can be reimbursed for their evacuation costs, covering the entire village and surrounding area.
At least five lawsuits have been filed against the railroad.
Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine on Thursday asked the White House for onthe-ground help from a federal health and emergency response team and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
No one was injured when about 50 cars derailed in a fiery, mangled mess on the outskirts of East Palestine on Feb. 3. As fears grew about a potential explosion, officials had the area evacuated and opted to release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and black smoke billowing into the sky again.