EPA orders rail company to clean up contaminated Ohio derailment site

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 (EPA) order requires Norfolk Southern to submit a work plan for EPA approval for the cleanup associated with the Feb. 3 derailment of a train loaded with toxic chemicals. The derailment 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'veinflicted 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.

Promise to be 'safer railroad'

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw on Tuesday promised the company wouldrestore the site and invest in the community.

"From day one, I've made the commitment that Norfolk Southern is going to remediate the site, we're going to do continuous long-term air and water monitoring, we're going to help the residents of this community recover, and we're going to invest in the long-term health of this community. And we're going to make Norfolk Southern a safer railroad," he told reporters.

Some 50 freight cars derailed on the outskirts of East Palestine, near the Pennsylvania state line, prompting persistent environmental and health concerns.

The derailment prompted an evacuation as fears grew about a potential explosion of smoldering wreckage.

Officials seeking to avoid the danger of an uncontrolled blast chose to intentionally release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and black smoke again billowing high into the sky.

That left people questioning the potential health impacts for residents in the area and beyond, even as authorities maintained they were doing their best to protect people.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine assured residents that they will not be left to handle the aftermath on their own once the news cameras leave and public attention turns elsewhere.

"We understand that it's not just about today, it's not just about two weeks from now," he said. "People have long-term concerns and we're going to do everything we can to stay at this."

Already, 4,600 yards (4,200 metres)of contaminated soil and 1.1 million gallons of contaminated water have been removed, DeWine said. But he said Norfolk Southern had failed to address the contaminated soil underneath its tracks before repairing them and running freight again. He said the company would have to take the tracks back up and remove the soil.

Governor talks of 'corporate greed, incompetence'

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro blasted Norfolk Southern over what he called its "failed management of this crisis," saying the company chose not to take part in a unified incident command, and provided inaccurate information and conflicting modelling data.

"The combination of Norfolk Southern's corporate greed, incompetence, and lack of concern for our residents is absolutely unacceptable to me," said Shapiro, appearing at the news conference in East Palestine with Regan, DeWine and other officials.

WATCH | Ohio governor says village water is safe:

Rail company ordered to clean up water, soil after Ohio derailment

2 years ago

Duration 2:00

The U.S. government is ordering railway operator Norfolk Southern to clean up contaminated soil and water at the site of a hazardous train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, where officials are trying to convince wary residents their tap water is safe to drink.

A spokesperson for the EPA said the agency is taking action now because things have shifted fromthe emergency phase to the remediation phase.

The agency will also create a "unified command structure"to co-ordinate 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.