EAST PALESTINE — Gov. Mike DeWine and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials are providing updates just over two weeks after the toxic train derailment in northeast Ohio.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the derailment “upended the lives of East Palestine families.” Now the agency will be taking the lead of the cleanup from the train derailment that contaminated the air and water in and around East Palestine.
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“Let me also be crystal clear, Norfolk Southern will pay for cleaning up the mess that they created and the trauma that they inflicted on this community,” Regan said.
Regan told reporters Tuesday that Norfolk Southern has been ordered to take “all necessary actions” to help with the cleanup, including:
- Cleaning up all contamination in soil and water, and safely transporting that contamination to the appropriate locations
- Reimbursing the EPA for cleaning services that will be offered to residents and businesses
- Attending and participating in public meetings at EPA’s request and share info with the public
The EPA said if the company fails to follow the order, it would seek triple the damages.
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The order marked the end of the “emergency” phase of the derailment and the beginning of the remediation phase in the area, the Associated Press reported.
“The concerns are long-term concerns. As I talked to people today, it wasn’t just about ‘Oh, I’m concerned about this today.’ The concern was ‘How is it going to be in year? How’s my water going to be in a year? How’s it going to be in two years? And so we have to stay at this,” Regan said.
DeWine also acknowledged the community concern about who will be left to handle the aftermath once all the news coverage fades. He said the drinking water was safe and promised to stay in the area and continue testing the air and water for years to come.