Clinic Opens for Residents and EPA Demands Payment

The Ohio Department of Health is opening a clinic today to address the growing health concerns of residents in eastern Palestine following a toxic train derailment earlier this month.

The 150-car train derailed on February 3, spilling hazardous materials including vinyl chloride. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has since conducted air and water surveillance, but residents remain fearful for their health as clean-up efforts continue.

Safety Clinic opens to residents of East Palestine

The newly opened clinic will open Tuesday noon and will be “available to all residents of the East Palestine region who have medical questions or concerns related to the recent train derailment.” according to a opinion The state health department’s clinic is located at a local church and will include exam rooms and a mobile clinic outside to accommodate more patients. “We encourage anyone with medical concerns or questions to use this resource,” Ohio Department of Health director Bruce Vanderhoff said in the release.

Since the derailment and a controlled burn of the chemicals, local residents have been wondering if the air is safe to breathe. In a press conference last week, Mary Mertz, the director of Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources, said, confirmed that 3,500 dead fish were found in local waters immediately afterwards.

Local residents also fear that their drinking water could be contaminated. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine tweeted last week that the city’s water is safe to drink, but new water problems have come to light. The water test was funded by Norfolk Southern, the operator of the derailed train laboratory report testing sponsored by the railroad shows sampling did not meet Environmental Protection Agency standards, HuffPost reports. The Columbiana County General Health District conducted its own independent samplingand these results will be available on County website.

Other authorities are stepping up to oversee ongoing cleanup and recovery. The Federal Emergency Management Agency dispatched a senior operations officer to eastern Palestine this weekend. This is “along with a Regional Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) to support ongoing operations” and other recovery needs, Gov. Mike DeWine and FEMA Regional Administrator Thomas C. Sivak said in one Joint Statement.

Buttigieg calls for stricter rail safety regulations

US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg wrote a letter to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw, and called on the rail industry to take a stand against regulations. He urged the company to support the community and “be part of the needed safety improvements across the industry.” Buttigieg also stressed the need for better conditions for workers throughout the railroad industry.

in one press release, the U.S. Department of Transportation said it wants rail operators to notify emergency teams in advance if a train is transporting “dangerous gas tank cars” through their state. The DOT has also asked Norfolk Southern, along with other railroad operators, to join the Federal Railroad Administration Confidential close call reporting system to allow railroads and employees to report dangerous conditions.

“Profit and expediency must never outweigh the safety of the American people,” Buttigieg said in the DOT release. “We at USDOT are doing everything we can to improve rail safety, and we insist that the rail industry do the same – while inviting Congress to work with us to raise the bar.”

EPA orders Norfolk Southern to pay over derailment

The EPA has ordered Norfolk Southern to pay for the damage caused by the derailment. in one statement released todaythe agency said it expects the rail operator to reimburse costs associated with cleaning services offered to residents and businesses.

“The Norfolk Southern train derailment has upended the lives of families in eastern Palestine, and the EPA’s order will ensure the company is held accountable for endangering the health and safety of this community,” said EPA Administrator Michael S .Regan in the statement. “To be clear, Norfolk Southern will pay to clean up the mess they have caused and the trauma they have caused to this community.”

The agency also stated that Norfolk Southern “is required to attend and attend public meetings and post information online at the request of EPA.” This request may have been included because representatives from Norfolk Southern did not participate town hall meeting last week Anger of the residents of East Palestine.

The agency had previously warned Norfolk Southern in a letter that they could be held accountable earlier this month. “Based on information currently available to EPA, EPA has determined that Norfolk Southern Railway Company (Norfolk Southern or “you”) may be responsible under CERCLA for site cleanup or costs incurred by EPA at cleaning up the site,” the agency wrote in one Letter dated February 10th.

If Norfolk Southern does not cooperate with the EPA, the agency will “seek to force Norfolk Southern to pay three times the cost.”