WASHINGTON — Nearly two months after the toxic Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, the head of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told a congressional hearing that it may take at least two additional months for the cleanup of contaminated water and soil to be completed.
Speaking at a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, & Critical Materials, Ohio EPA Director Anne Vogel told lawmakers that the process of removing waste from the area is progressing.
"We are seeing as many as 40 or 45 trucks a day taking soil out of East Palestine this week," Vogel reported. "I'm not going to predict there will be no more challenges, but things are on pace as of today."
One of the primary challenges facing federal and state agencies in the aftermath of the derailment is that thousands of tons of excavated contaminated soil have been waiting to be sent out for disposal from East Palestine. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, among others, has been critical of delays in the process.
The subcommittee was chaired by Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH), whose district includes East Palestine. Johnson also took exception to the delays in removing the soil. "The cleanup, which is still ongoing by the way, has been a bumpy road to say the least. As we speak, there is a many-thousands-of-tons-toxic-dirt-pile, still sitting there very slowly being trucked out, because the proper, legal, certified disposal process was improperly turned into a political football," he said.
“I do wonder, if this train derailed in inner city Philadelphia, or an affluent Chicago suburb, rather than rural, ‘flyover-country-Ohio’ would those communities get the same treatment?" Johnson also asked.
EPA Regional Administrator Debra Shore tried to explain some of the reasons for the delays to the committee.
"Norfolk Southern has encountered some difficulties in finding and establishing contracts with sites to accept both liquid and solid waste," she stated. "I think we could accelerate the cleanup if they were able to fulfil that obligation more expeditiously."
Shore reported that approximately nine million gallons of liquid waste and 10,000 tons of contaminated soil have been shipped out thus far. "Mind you, 70% of the solid waste shipped off site has happened in the last two weeks," she added. "The pace is picking up and the job is getting done. Nearly half of the total excavation under the train tracks is almost complete."
Health concerns in the East Palestine community were also addressed in the hearing. Columbiana County Health Commissioner Wes Vins told the committee that residents are "expressing concerns about immediate issues of sore throats, head-aches and anxiety, as well as unknown long-term health conditions, including the development of cancer."
Shore and Vogel both pledged that their agencies will continue air, water and soil testing programs.
You can watch Tuesday's hearing in the video below: