The derailment of the Norfolk Southern train, just east of the town center, led to a conflagration when officials decided to burn off vinyl chloride, exposing residents and nature to chemical smoke and fumes.
More than 80 homes and structures have also been cleaned to address potential dust emissions from the derailment, Regan said.
"The derailment of that Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine was not only a crisis for the community, but also a wake-up call for the country, making it clear that Congress, industry, and our department could and needed to do more to improve safety," he said.
Though residents gave the benefit of the doubt to the EPA - and felt nothing but utter distrust of Norfolk Southern - they demanded more testing of soil, air and water.
A more proactive approach to rebuilding trust, like contacting residents instead of sending out press releases telling them to call, or giving more credence to the testimony of farmers who saw smoke plumes cover their property, may have helped assuage local cynicism.
Dissatisfied locals were still demanding more transparency and testing from government officials rather than reassurances.
One academic researcher argued that the EPA had failed to protect residents from the effects of the disaster because the agency didn't do more testing inside homes that were contaminated.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_2d5fff38-c085-11ee-ab64-836439727732.html
No comments:
Post a Comment