Investigation into EPA’s Response to East Palestine Train Derailment

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) faces an investigation concerning its response to the devastating East Palestine train derailment of 2023. This announcement comes after residents of the Ohio-Pennsylvania border town, along with Vice President JD Vance, advocated for scrutiny.

The EPA’s Inspector General declared the review on Tuesday. The investigation will examine the agency’s handling of the incident, considered the most severe rail disaster in over a decade, and the ensuing health and environmental issues. These concerns persist despite the EPA’s claims that no dangerous chemical levels remained in the community weeks and months later.

The derailment occurred in February 2023 when a Norfolk Southern train derailed due to a faulty bearing. This led to a spill and fire involving various chemicals, forcing residents to evacuate. The decision to blow open and burn five rail cars carrying vinyl chloride resulted in a massive smoke column. This move, later deemed unwarranted by the National Transportation Safety Board, was intended to prevent tank cars from exploding.

East Palestine resident Jami Wallace, among others, has consistently urged for this investigation. She initially pressed the EPA to test for cancer-causing dioxins, fearing contamination in the town. Wallace expressed relief at the inquiry’s commencement, despite the difficulty in proving a direct link between illnesses and the derailment. She has tracked more than 80 cancer cases in the area.

Wallace remarked, “We’ve had to push them along the way for every single thing they did, and then they didn’t even do it right.” She vows to continue her efforts, “We’re not going to stop when you poison our kids.”

The demand for investigation also stemmed from complaints by residents and whistleblowers over the years. The Inspector General’s office stated that this investigation seeks to assess if the EPA fulfilled its responsibilities and had sufficient data backing its public assurances. The credibility of the EPA’s data is in question, especially concerning the complex mixture of chemicals involved compared to single-chemical exposure health standards.

Wallace is uncertain about the investigation’s potential outcomes but appreciates the renewed focus on East Palestine’s challenges. “If nothing else, at least we’re getting attention again,” she said. “And people know that we’re here and that we are not OK.”

Norfolk Southern has agreed to a $600 million class action settlement with residents, although legal hurdles continue to delay fund distribution. Residents have also filed lawsuits, accusing class action lawyers of providing misleading information and pressuring them into agreements. A federal settlement with fines and provisions for long-term health and environmental monitoring remains unresolved as it awaits judicial approval.

Amidst these developments, Norfolk Southern seeks to merge with Union Pacific to form America’s first transcontinental railroad. The $85 billion proposal is under an exhaustive review by the Surface Transportation Board.