On Tuesday, the EPA announced it would take control of the cleanup of a Norfolk Southern train derailment in Ohio that happened earlier this month. The derailment resulted in officials authorizing a “controlled release” and burn-off of hazardous chemicals from derailed train cars that unleashed a gigantic black cloud over East Palestine and deep into Pennsylvania.
Under a legal binding order, “Norfolk Southern must identify and clean up contaminated soil and water resources, pay for the costs of work performed by the EPA and reimburse the agency for additional cleaning services offered to residents and businesses.”
In statement to NPR on Tuesday, Norfolk Southern said it has already been paying for the cleanup in East Palestine and will continue to do so.
“We recognize that we have a responsibility, and we have committed to doing what’s right for the residents of East Palestine,” the railroad said. “We are committed to thoroughly and safely cleaning the site, and we are reimbursing residents for the disruption this has caused in their lives.”
But Wait! There’s More:
Pennsylvania officials made ‘criminal referral’ against Norfolk Southern to state attorney general’s office, governor says
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said state environmental officials made a “criminal referral” against Norfolk Southern – the company who operated the train that derailed in an Ohio village near the Pennsylvania border – to the state attorney general’s office.
“My department of environmental protection made a criminal referral to the attorney general’s office,” he said in a Tuesday afternoon news conference. “My office of general counsel is looking at other legal steps that we might take.”
On Wednesday, TFG will travel back to the crime scene and speak to the residents of East Palestine:
^^^Sure, you coked out buffoon!
Trump’s administration withdrew an Obama-era proposal to require faster brakes on trains carrying highly flammable materials, ended regular rail safety audits of railroads, and mothballed a pending rule requiring freight trains to have at least two crew members. He also placed a veteran of the chemical industry in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s chemical safety office, where she made industry-friendly changes to how the agency studied health risks.
This is the extent of any actions the disgraced, twice impeached, one term, FORMER (p)resident can take. Thankfully, he’s no longer president but he’s visiting an area that voted heavily for his orange ass.
