The Environmental Protection Agency on Saturday ordered a pause on the removal of toxic waste from the site of the derailment of a train filled with toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month.
The partial derailment of the Norfolk Southern train on February 3 led to the release of dangerous chemicals, including vinyl chloride. Authorities conducted a controlled burn of the train to prevent a larger explosion. Norfolk Southern has been tasked with removing the contaminated waste from the area.
The process began last week, with soil and water being sent to facilities in Texas and Michigan. However, officials in those states were reportedly unaware that the contaminated waste was being sent to their areas. Going forward, the EPA will be required to approve any relocation of waste from the site.
“EPA will ensure that all waste is disposed of in a safe and lawful manner at EPA-certified facilities to prevent further release of hazardous substances and impacts to communities,” the EPA’s Region 5 administrator, Debra Shore, told the Associated Press.
Ohio governor Mike DeWine’s office said 20 truckloads, or nearly 280 tons, of hazardous solid waste was removed from the derailment site ahead of the pause, including 15 truckloads of contaminated soil that was sent to a licensed hazardous waste treatment and disposal facility in Michigan.
“Five truckloads of contaminated soil were returned to East Palestine,” DeWine’s office said Saturday. “The licensed hazardous waste treatment and disposal facility in Texas will dispose of liquid waste that has already been trucked out of East Palestine, but no additional liquid waste will be accepted at the Texas facility at this time.”
Representative Debbie Dingell (D., Mich.) said she was not given advance notice that contaminated soil would be sent to the U.S. Ecology Wayne Disposal in Belleville, Michigan.
“We were not given a heads up on this reported action. Our priority is to always keep the people we represent safe. We are making inquiries of EPA, DOT, Norfolk Southern, U.S. Ecology, the state of Ohio, and all others involved to understand what is being shipped, whether these are approved storage facilities, the implications of this decision, and how we ensure the safety of all Michigan residents,” Dingell said.
Wayne County Executive Warren Evans said he and governor Gretchen Whitmer were not made aware of the waste disposal plan either, according to FOX 2.
“It sounds in all intents and purposes that we were sandbagged,” Evans said. “I don’t know how you do that without contacting local officials so that we can number one, know how to respond to our communities, and two, to give advice about what routes to take and those sort of things. In the phone call just a few minutes ago I talked with the governor and important folks with the EPA, but to my satisfaction – and I’d like to say the governors’ office also got last-minute bits and pieces of information. They weren’t hiding anything from us. They were trying to get information just like we were.”
In Texas, Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo said she wasn’t given notice that materials were being sent to a hazardous waste company outside Houston, according to FOX 26.
“It’s a very real problem, we were told yesterday the materials were coming only to learn today they’ve been here for a week,” Hidalgo said.
The update came one day after the House Oversight Committee sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg demanding answers about the train derailment. Committee chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) and committee Republicans told Buttigieg on Friday that the committee “is deeply concerned by DOT’s slow pace in resolving this matter.”
“This incident is an environmental and public health emergency that now threatens Americans across state lines,” reads the letter obtained by National Review. “Despite the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) responsibility to ensure safe and reliable transport in the United States, you ignored the catastrophe for over a week. The American people deserve answers as to what caused the derailment, and DOT needs to provide an explanation for its leadership’s apathy in the face of this emergency.