Joe Biden echoed the comments made by the director of the Environmental Protection Agency. “This is the mess they made.” Biden tweeted: “They should clean it up.”
Norfolk Southern officials were also required to attend town meetings in East Palestine, Ohio, about the spill that occurred on February 3. Residents were angry when company officials boycotted a town meeting last week, citing their safety.
Norfolk Southern is required to submit a cleanup plan in accordance with the EPA’s order. The derailment caused a fire which sent smoke clouds over the town. The railroad crews had to burn and drain toxic chemicals while evacuating thousands of residents.
During an East Palestine press conference, EPA Administrator Michael Regan stated, “I w,ant to be clear. Norfolk Southern will pay the costs of cleaning up and traumatizing this community.”
Biden said on social media that rail companies had successfully lobbied Washington to slow down regulations. He also called on Congress to pass new rail safety laws. Biden wrote: “This is not just a derailment, or a toxic spill. It’s years worth of resistance to safety measures finally coming to fruition.”
In an email, Norfolk Southern acknowledged its responsibility to clean up “safely and thoroughly” the site of the derailment and pay for that. It said, “We will learn from this terrible incident and work with elected officials and regulators to improve railroad safety.”
The company announced last week that it had created a $1 million fund to support the community. It said on Tuesday it had distributed $3.4 million in direct financial aid to more than 2,200 households to cover their evacuation costs.
Norfolk Southern shares fell 1.6% Tuesday and are down almost 11% from February 3.
The derailment occurred on the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Josh Shapiro is the Democratic Governor of Pennsylvania. He has criticized Norfolk Southern’s response to the derailment, which he attributed to the “corporate greed” and “incompetence” displayed by the company. The governor stated that the company chose not to cooperate with the “unified command,” which is a group of government agencies, in cleaning up the mess.
Shapiro stated that they “created confusion” in the process. They gave us incorrect information and contradicting modeling data and refused to explore alternative courses of action in the early stages when we dealt with the derailment.
Shapiro was referring to the decision made to drain toxic chemicals from rail cars and then set them on fire. This created a poisonous air plume. Norfolk Southern didn’t immediately respond to a comment request on Shapiro’s remarks.
The order was issued by EPA under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, giving it the authority to force polluters to clean up their mess.
Regan stated, “I understand that this order will not undo the horror that families have lived in this town. But it will start to bring much-needed justice for the harm that Norfolk Southern caused.”
Residents have demanded answers regarding health risks and blamed Norfolk Southern as well as state and federal officials.
The EPA will demand that the company reimburse it for any cleaning services provided to residents and businesses. Regan stated that if the EPA has to clean up any mess the railroad refuses, it can make Norfolk Southern pay three times the amount of the cleaning.
Regan stated that the agency has taken this action because the situation is now in the cleanup phase. The federal government will take command.
The agency will create a unified structure of command to coordinate cleanup efforts with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Ohio EPA, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection as well as Norfolk Southern.
He said, “I want to be sure that she is safe.” She’s ready for home. She weeps every day.”
In a Tweet sent shortly after the EPA’s announcement, Joe Biden claimed that the Trump Administration and other elected officials had hampered efforts to improve rail safety.
We’ll continue holding rail companies accountable if they don’t put safety first. “But first, we have to clean up the mess that Norfolk Southern has made,” he said. “I want the affected residents to be aware that we have their backs.”
The EPA’s decision to compel Norfolk Southern to clean up occurred nearly three weeks after over thirty freight cars, including 11 that carried hazardous materials, derailed near the Pennsylvania border in East Palestine. This prompted an evacuation amid growing fears of a possible explosion from the smoldering wreckage.
In order to prevent an uncontrolled explosion, officials intentionally burned toxic Vinyl Chloride in five rail cars. This sent flames and black fumes high into the air. Questioned the health effects, even though authorities claimed they were trying to protect people.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine assured residents that they would not be left on their own to deal with the aftermath once public attention is diverted elsewhere.
He said, “We know that this is not about today or two weeks hence.” “People are concerned about the long term, and we will do all we can to keep this going.”
DeWine stated that 4,600 yards and 1.1 million gallons of contaminated water had already been removed. DeWine said Norfolk Southern had not addressed the contamination of soil beneath its tracks prior to repairing them and resuming freight. He said that the company would need to remove the dirt and reinstall the ways.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has criticized Norfolk Southern for what he calls its “failed crisis management.” He said the company refused to participate in a united incident command and gave inaccurate information as well as conflicting modeling data.
Shapiro said at a news conference along with Regan, DeWine, and other officials, “The combination between Norfolk Southern’s greed and incompetence and their lack of concern for residents is absolutely unacceptable.”
Shapiro stated that his administration had referred Norfolk Southern’s criminal case to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. DeWine confirmed that the Ohio attorney general has launched an investigation.
EPA has said that it has tested the indoor air quality in 550 homes, while outside air is monitored by aircraft, mobile vans, and stationary instruments.
Regan admitted that he was not certain if the EPA tests for dioxin (a carcinogen), as some legislators and advocates have requested.
Under the “Superfund” law, EPA can order those who are responsible for contamination to clean up. EPA has the authority to fine the railway as much as $70,000 per day if work isn’t completed. EPA could also perform the work themselves if needed and charge Norfolk Southern three times its cost.
Separately on Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg released a set of reforms and called for railroad operators to take steps to improve safety immediately.
Rubinkam reported on the situation from Northeastern Pennsylvania. Matthew Daly, an AP reporter in Washington, contributed to this report.