EPA chief at Ohio train derailment scene: ‘Trust the government’
The head of the US Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday got a firsthand look at the toll left in its wake by a freight train derailment in Ohio, where toxic chemicals were spilled or burned and left the stench of fresh paint nearly two weeks later.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan, walking along a creek that still reeks of chemicals, tried to reassure skeptical residents that the water around eastern Palestine, where nearly 5,000 people live near the Pennsylvania state line, is safe to drink and the air safe to breathe is.
“I ask you to trust the government. I know this is difficult. We know there’s a lack of trust,” Regan said. “We’re testing everything that was on that train.”
Since the derailment, local residents have complained of headaches and sore eyes, and have found their cars and lawns covered in soot. The dangerous chemicals spilled from the train killed thousands of fish, and residents spoke of finding dying or sick pets and wildlife.
Residents are frustrated by what they say is incomplete and vague information about the ongoing impact of the disaster, which has prompted evacuations.
“I have three grandchildren,” said Kathy Dyke, who joined hundreds of her neighbors on Wednesday for a public gathering from which representatives from rail operator Norfolk Southern were conspicuously absent. “Are you going to grow up here in five years and have cancer?”
Regan said Thursday that anyone afraid to be in their home should get government tested.
“People are worried. They have been asked to leave their homes,” he said, adding that if he lived there, he would be willing to move his family back to the area as long as tests show it is safe.
Those attending the night’s briefing had questions about health hazards and called for more transparency from Norfolk Southern, which did not attend, citing concerns about the safety of its employees. Many who had waited in a long line that snaked outside the high school’s gymnasium were upset that they hadn’t heard anything new. Some booed or laughed whenever they heard the village mayor or health director reassure them that lingering odors were not dangerous.
“They just danced around the questions a lot,” said Danielle Deal, who lives a few miles from the derailment site. “Norfolk had to be here.”
At least five lawsuits have been filed against the railroad, which this week announced it will set up a $1 million fund to help the community as it continues to clean up spilled contaminants from the ground, from rivers and the Air quality monitored.
“We are here and will remain here for as long as is necessary to ensure your safety and to help East Palestine recover and prosper,” Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw said in a letter to the community .
Families who were evacuated said they needed help figuring out how to get the promised financial help. They also want to know if Deutsche Bahn will be held accountable.
State and federal officials have vowed to ensure that Norfolk Southern not only pays for the cleanup, but also compensates local residents.
The White House said teams from the federal health and emergency response and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will travel to eastern Palestine.
“We understand residents are concerned – as they should be – and they have questions. It’s all understandable,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “And we’re going to get to the bottom of it.”
No one was injured when about 50 cars derailed in fiery, mangled chaos on the outskirts of eastern Palestine on February 3. Officials, wanting to avoid an uncontrolled explosion, evacuated the area and chose to release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from five train cars. Flames and black smoke rise into the sky again.
The Ohio EPA said the latest tests show five wells that provide the village’s drinking water are free of contaminants.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimates at least 3,500 fish, mostly small ones like minnows and darters, have been found dead along more than 7 miles of creeks.
Precautions are being taken to ensure contaminants that have reached the Ohio River do not end up in drinking water, officials said.
There are isolated reports that pets or farm animals have fallen ill. No related animal deaths have been confirmed and the risk to livestock is low, Ohio officials said, but the state Department of Agriculture is testing samples from a beef calf that died a week after the derailment.
The suspected cause of the derailment is a mechanical problem with a rail vehicle axle. The National Transportation Safety Board said it had video that appears to show a wheel bearing overheating shortly before. The NTSB expects to release its preliminary report in about two weeks.
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