EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered Norfolk Southern on Tuesday to pay for the cleanup of the East Palestine, Ohio, train wreck and chemical release as federal regulators took charge of long-term recovery efforts and promised worried residents they won’t be forgotten.
Speaking to reporters near the derailment site, Norfolk Southern’s CEO promised to undertake necessary steps to ensure the long-term health of the community and become a “safer railroad.”
EPA used its authority under the federal Superfund law to order Norfolk Southern to take all available measures to clean up contaminated air and water. It also said the company would be required to reimburse the federal government for a new program to provide cleaning services for impacted residents and businesses.
“Norfolk Southern will pay for cleaning up the mess that they created and the trauma that they inflicted on this community,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan vowed at a news conference in East Palestine. “I know this order cannot undue the nightmare that families in this town have been living with, but it will begin to deliver much-needed justice for the pain that Norfolk Southern has caused.”
He warned that if Norfolk Southern fails to comply, the agency will perform the work itself and seek triple damages from the company.
EPA planned to release more details on the cleanup service for residents and businesses, which it said would “provide an additional layer of reassurance.”
The agency said its order marked the end of the “emergency” phase of the Feb. 3 derailment and the start of long-term remediation.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw reiterated promises to restore the site and invest in the community.
“From day one, I’ve made the commitment that Norfolk Southern is going to remediate the site, we’re going to do continuous long-term air and water monitoring, we’re going to help the residents of this community recover, and we’re going to invest in the long-term health of this community. And we’re going to make Norfolk Southern a safer railroad,” he told reporters.
Jeff Zalick, who lives with his 100-year-old mother just blocks from the derailment site, said he’s waiting for the home to be cleaned before moving back. He said there’s still a chemical smell inside, though not nearly as bad as a week ago.
The walls need scrubbing, and he wants air purifiers installed before allowing his mother back.
“I just want to make sure she’s safe,” he said. “She’s ready to come home. She cries every day.”
