EPA watchdog probes 2023 Ohio train disaster response

The Environmental Protection Agency is under formal investigation into how it handled the aftermath of the 2023 East Palestine train derailment. The agency’s Inspector General announced the review on Tuesday. The probe will examine the federal response to the worst rail disaster in more than a decade. It will also look at the health and environmental concerns that persisted after the accident.

Local residents and Vice President JD Vance pushed for this specific review. They argued that the EPA’s initial assurances about air and water safety were not backed by enough data. The Inspector General’s office stated it will determine if the agency met its legal responsibilities. It will also check if the EPA had sufficient data to support its public statements telling residents it was safe to return home.

The incident began late on a Friday night in February 2023. A failed bearing caused a Norfolk Southern train to derail in East Palestine, Ohio. Chemicals spilled and caught fire. Three days later, officials ordered the venting and burning of five rail cars. This decision released vinyl chloride and created a large plume of smoke that drifted across several states.

The National Transportation Safety Board later ruled that the vent and burn procedure was unnecessary. Officials at the time feared the tank cars might explode. They believed the controlled burn was a safer alternative to a potential blast. Critics argue this decision exposed the community to dangerous chemicals without full transparency.

Jami Wallace, a resident of East Palestine, said she would cry when she heard about the investigation. She has been tracking more than 80 people in the area who have developed cancer since the derailment. While proving a direct link is difficult, Wallace believes the investigation is a necessary step. She noted that residents have had to demand action on every issue that arose after the crash.

“It’s like we’ve had to push them along the way for every single thing they did, and then they didn’t even do it right,” Wallace said. She added that the community will continue fighting until its concerns are addressed. “We’re not going to stop when you poison our kids,” she said.

Testing experts have questioned whether the data the EPA shared with the public obscured the true risks. They noted that current health standards are generally based on exposure to a single chemical. It remains unclear how long-term exposure to the mixture of chemicals released in East Palestine affects human health.

Norfolk Southern agreed to a $600 million class action settlement with residents. However, the funds have largely remained tied up in court proceedings. Issues arose regarding the initial settlement administrator mishandling the money. A group of residents has also sued, arguing that class action attorneys pressured them into signing the agreement.

A separate federal settlement is still awaiting judicial approval. It includes a $15 million fine for the railroad and $55 million for decades of medical exams and groundwater testing. This agreement has been under review for more than two years.

Norfolk Southern is currently seeking to merge with Union Pacific. The proposed $85 billion deal aims to create the nation's first transcontinental railroad. The Surface Transportation Board is conducting an extensive review of the merger.