U.S. orders Norfolk Southern to clean polluted Ohio derailment site
21/02/2023 17:00
By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. government on
Tuesday ordered rail operator Norfolk Southern to clean up
contaminated soil and water at the site of a train derailment in
East Palestine, Ohio, and to attend all public meetings with
local residents.
The Environmental Protection Agency order requires Norfolk
Southern to submit a work plan for EPA approval for the clean up
associated with the Feb. 3 derailment of a train loaded with
toxic chemicals that caused a fire and sent a cloud of smoke
over the town that forced thousands of residents to evacuate
while railroad crews drained and burned off chemicals.
“Let me be clear: Norfolk Southern will pay for cleaning up
the mess they created and for the trauma they’ve inflicted on
this community," EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a
statement.
EPA issued the order under the federal Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, which
gives it the authority to force parties responsible for
pollution to clean it up.
Regan made a second trip on Tuesday to East Palestine, the
derailment site.
Although no fatalities or injuries have been reported,
residents have been demanding answers about health risks and
blaming Norfolk Southern, state and federal officials for a lack
of information regarding the crash.
EPA will require the company to reimburse the agency for any
cleaning services it offers residents and businesses and to
participate in public meetings and post information online.
Residents were angry last week when the railway operator did
not attend a town hall meeting.
A spokesperson for the EPA said the agency is taking this
action now because things have shifted to the emergency phase to
the remediation phase.
The agency will also create a “unified command structure” to
coordinate the clean-up related efforts alongside the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Health and
Human Services, Ohio EPA, Ohio Emergency Management Agency,
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, as well as
Norfolk Southern.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by David Gregorio)
((valerie.volcovici@thomsonreuters.com;))