East Palestine residents and officials are still reeling from the aftermath of the train derailment
The tiny village of East Palestine in Ohio is still reeling from the aftermath of a train derailment earlier this month that has prompted concerns over hazardous material, and local and state officials working to manage the impacts.
On Tuesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called on Congress to take action. At a news conference, he said he was told the train was not considered a high hazardous material train, so it was not required to notify the state it was passing through.
“Frankly, if this is true, and I’m told it’s true, this is absurd and we need to look at this and Congress needs to take a look at how these things are handled,” Mr. DeWine said. “We should know when there are trains carrying hazardous material going through the state of Ohio.”
Mr. DeWine’s update came a day before a town hall is scheduled at East Palestine High School. Since the Feb. 3, accident, at least five lawsuits have been filed against the transit company Norfolk Southern. Gov. Josh Shapiro also sent a letter to Norfolk Southern saying he had “serious concerns” about the company’s management of the incident.
Meanwhile, a letter sent by the Environmental Protection Agency to Norfolk Southern shows additional contaminants have, or may be, released into the environment than previously reported. The agency continues daily air testing in the area, detecting no levels of concern yet.