The 50-Year Anniversary of the East Palestine Toxic Derailment: A Conversation with a Republican Senator, Mike DeWine
The toxic derailment, which upended life in the community, has prompted calls for better rail safety and fueled questions about laws surrounding the movement of toxic substances.
Regan has traveled back and forth to East Palestine in recent weeks, meeting with residents and local and state officials, as federal efforts ramp up to address the wreck that unleashed plumes of black smoke and contaminated the soil at the crash site and some waterways.
On Tuesday, Regan visited an East Palestine home and drank tap water with Gov. Mike DeWine – trying to reinforce earlier assurances that the municipal water supply is safe. Shortly after, the EPA ordered Norfolk Southern, the company who operated the train carrying hazardous materials, to handle and pay for all necessary cleanup.
The Senate confirmed Regan as EPA administrator with a bipartisan vote in March 2021, making him the first Black man to lead the agency in its 50-year history. His historic confirmation followed that of Lisa Jackson, who during the Obama administration became the first African American to head the agency.
Regan previously served as the secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality after being tapped for the position by North Carolina’s Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in 2017.
Regan has said that going to the Black college prepared him for his role as an administrator. He said that it helped him understand who he is and what he can do for society.
“I knew I wanted to find a way to serve, and that led to my first summer internship at EPA. I spent nearly ten years at EPA under both presidents, it was an honor of a lifetime to be invited back, told the Senate panel, adding that he had previously worked for both parties.
Regan has been one of the climate-focused members of President Joe Biden’s administration, playing a central part in the president’s efforts to end carbon emissions from power plants by 2035 and investments in clean energy projects.
According to the EPA, he served as the associate vice president of US Climate and Energy and Southeast regional director at Environmental Defense Fund.
Clean Norfolk Southern, Clean Air and Water During the February 3 Fires: After 2 Years, Lots of Water and Air in East Palestine, Ohio
Norfolk Southern will be required to Identify and clean up any contaminated soil and water resources, reimburse the EPA for cleaning services to be offered to residents and businesses, attend and participate in public meetings at the EPA’s request and post information online, among other requirements.
President Joe Biden echoed the sentiment Tuesday, calling the EPA’s order “common sense.” This is their mess. The president stated in a post that Norfolk Southern should be cleaned up.
The nightmare that families in this town have been living with cannot be undone by this order. It will begin to deliver justice for the pain Norfolk Southern has caused.
As part of the continued fallout, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said state environmental officials made a “criminal referral” against Norfolk Southern. The Ohio attorney general is also reviewing all actions the law “allows him to take,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said.
The backlash comes as residents of the small village grapple with fears about the safety of their air and water in the aftermath of the February 3 derailment, which ignited a fire that burned for days and prompted crews to intentionally release vinyl chloride from the train cars to help avert an explosion – a move that sent a thick plume of smoke over the small community.
Skepticism further spread in the community as some residents have reported health problems, like rashes and headaches, and after thousands of fish died in Ohio waterways after the train derailed.
Officials have repeatedly assured residents that tests show no dangers lurking in the air or water. The EPA said that crews had checked hundreds of homes and had not found the dangerous levels of contaminants.
Regan and DeWine drank from the tap of an East Palestine, Ohio, resident, who was concerned about the safety of the water.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/22/us/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-wednesday/index.html
East Palestine Railroad Safety Reinvestigation After the Wreck: A PLANCK-Like Message from the Governor of Pennsylvania
The train operator gave incorrect information and refused to discuss alternative courses of action after the wreck, according to the governor of Pennsylvania.
He plans to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for their actions, which injected unnecessary risk into the crisis.
Shaw said that the company was aligned with the EPA and local efforts in East Palestine after the train wreck.
Shaw told CNN that he made a pledge to Norfolk Southern from day one. It will be done through long-term air and water monitoring. We are going to help the residents of this community recover and we are also going to invest in the long term health of this community and make Norfolk Southern a safer railroad.
Shaw said his company has monitored air and water quality for many years and has conducted hundreds of tests with lots of data points which have come back clean.
DeWine said it is “absurd” that the law did not require Norfolk Southern to notify officials that a train with hazardous materials was coming through the state.
President Biden called on Congress to help implement rail safety measures and accused the Trump administration of limiting the government’s ability to strengthen rail safety measures.
In a post on his IG page, Biden said this was more than a train wreck or a toxic waste spill and that it was years of opposition to safety measures coming home to roost.
“There’s been a concern by citizens, very understandably, that the railroad started, got the tracks back on and started running and the soil under the tracks had not been dealt with,” DeWine said. The administrator ordered that the soil be removed. The soil will have to be removed and the tracks taken up.
East Palestine residents are still worried about how the toxic wreck will affect them as crews continue efforts to clean it up.
The state opened a new health clinic for East Palestine residents to address their complaints about nausea, headaches, and other symptoms.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/22/us/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-wednesday/index.html
Recommending the EPA to the Depth of the Department of Environmental Quality and the Prevention of Indirect Detection of Anomalies
The administrator of the EPA is not dismissing what people are experiencing, and asked those concerned to seek medical attention.
“I believe people when they say that they’re facing adverse impacts. And what we’re doing is we’re asking them to seek medical attention … then we can take that information and add that as part of our response,” Regan said. “We’re not discounting what people are experiencing at all. We ask them to seek medical help while we conduct our investigations.
“We need our town cleaned up, we need our residents to feel safe in their homes,” Conaway said at Tuesday news conference. “That’s the number one thing. Your home is your sanctuary: if you don’t feel safe in your home, then you’re never going to feel safe anywhere.”