EPA Administrator accused of slow response to Ohio train derailment
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan says he hesitated to visit East Palestine, Ohio, because he wanted emergency responders to focus on helping people, ‘not visitations.’
Officials worked Friday to assure residents that air and water testing following the toxic train derailment in Ohio has shown the area is safe for residents.
Worries have continued to expand – fueled by skepticism, anecdotal reports of related illness in animals and humans and fear that has extended down the Ohio River.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tweeted on Wednesday that water testing results had shown no detection of contaminants in East Palestine’s municipal water system.
The governor on Friday repeated assurances that municipal water was safe, but added that a section of the Sulphur Run stream – located near the crash site – is still contaminated. Air and water testing would continue as long as necessary.
In response to skeptics, DeWine said that Ohio is using the best experts and equipment available, and that officials had no reason to lie or minimize the impact of the disaster.
WHITE HOUSE EXPLAINS WHY IT TURNED DOWN DISASTER RELIEF FOR OHIO
Cleanup continues in a stream in East Palestine Park in East Palestine, Ohio, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. Residents of the Ohio village upended by a freight train derailment are demanding to know if they're safe from the toxic chemicals that spilled or were burned off to avoid an even bigger disaster. ((Lucy Schaly/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP))
The governor said that the Ohio River is very well monitored and that, for communities that are in contact with it, "the water that's coming in that they're testing is fine."
"We rely on these people every day to make sure that water's OK. They're telling us that water's OK," he said.
Environmental Protection Agency Administration Michael Regan walked along a creek that still reeks of chemicals on Thursday and sought to reassure skeptical residents that the air and water were safe.
"I’m asking they trust the government. I know that’s hard. We know there’s a lack of trust," he said. "We’re testing for everything that was on that train."
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan left, walks with his staff through East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 16, 2023. ((Lucy Schaly/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP))
In Cincinnati, roughly 300 miles southwest of East Palestine, the Greater Cincinnati Water Works said Thursday that water sample testing found "no detectable levels of the chemicals" involved in the derailment – and later a controlled burn and release. However, on Friday, the city reportedly announced it would stop taking in water from the Ohio River.
"I’m confident that temporarily shutting off the Ohio River intake is the best move," Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long said, according to Cleveland.com. "There’s zero risk that our water reserves contain contaminants from the train derailment site, and tapping these reserves will give us all peace of mind."
The spill, GCWW said, was expected to arrive in the area either late Saturday or early on Sunday.
A tank car sits on a trailer as the cleanup of portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed over a week ago continues in East Palestine, Ohio, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. ((AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar))
In Louisville, Kentucky, the Louisville Water Company said Wednesday that residents' water is safe and that there had been no detections of butyl acrylate there. The spill was more than 300 miles away.
Pete Goodmann, Louisville Water’s director of water quality and research, said it was possible Louisville won't see detectable levels there.
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Officials have said that precautions were being taken to ensure contaminants that reached the Ohio River don’t make it into drinking water.
At least 3,500 fish have been found dead, according to estimates from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The state's agriculture department is also testing samples from a beef calf that died a week after the derailment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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