Latest Ohio train derailment: Trump to visit site as criminal diversion against Norfolk Southern announced

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has tasked the rail operator, Norfolk Southern, with cleaning up the toxic train tracks in East Palestine, Ohio.

If it does not complete the task, the company will be fined “significantly”, CNN reported.

The Independent has contacted the EPA for comment.

The head of the Ohio EPA said Tuesday that testing by multiple laboratories found no evidence of volatile organic compounds as a result of the Ohio train derailment in East Palestine water.

The EPA also said it has conducted air quality testing inside more than 500 homes in East Palestine, and found no evidence of volatile organic compounds at worrisome levels as a result of the vented and burned vinyl chloride that was being carried by the train.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called on the railroad industry to immediately improve safety standards or face severe penalties after a train derailment in Ohio pushed out mass evacuees and spilled a toxic chemical and burned it.

Mr Buttigieg unveiled a reform package on Tuesday that would increase fines for “egregious violations”, force rail companies to provide sick pay and notify local officials when they are transporting hazardous materials through his state.

The current maximum fine a rail company could face was $225,455, which he described as a “rounding error” for a company like Norfolk Southern which had annual operating revenue of $4.8bn in 2022.

He also called on rail companies to set up confidential hotlines where staff could report safety concerns, following previous cases in which Norfolk Southern allegedly tried to silence whistleblowers.

Governor Mike DeWine said during a press conference that laws dictating when railroad companies must announce that they are transporting hazardous chemicals must be more restrictive.

The Norfolk Southern train that derailed was not required under current laws to announce the nature of its cargo.

Mr. DeWine also assured the residents of East Palestine that the state would remain active in the village until the clean-up is complete.

The Environmental Protection Agency is leading cleanup efforts in East Palestine, Ohio, after a Norfolk Southern train derailed, forcing the release and burning of vinyl chloride throughout the village.

Norfolk Southern has voluntarily led the cleanup response up to this point. He will now be subject to EPA oversight and could face fines or other penalties if he fails to address the village.

Orange posters have appeared in the homes of residents of East Palestine, warning them that “hazardous chemicals” are inside. The flyers claim to be from Norfolk Southern.

According to local broadcaster WKBN, Norfolk Southern says it has nothing to do with the flyers and said the papers can be thrown away.

“These are unnecessary attempts to scare town residents and confuse the public,” the company told WKBN.

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appeared on Good Morning America and said he planned to visit East Palestine to survey the cleanup operation.

Host George Stephanopoulos asked Mr. Buttigieg if he planned to personally visit the site during a recent appearance on the show, noting that some critics asked “where’s Pete?”

“I plan to go and our people were on the ground from the first hour,” he said, noting that the National Transportation Safety Board also needed time to conduct an independent investigation into the accident without lawmakers overseeing the process.

Local and state officials drank from the East Palestine sinkhole to help with fears that the village’s water had been contaminated after the Norfolk Southern train derailment in early February.

The United States Secretary of Transportation responded to criticism leveled at him by Senator Marco Rubio by pointing out that the legislator had voted to relax safety regulations before the Ohio train derailment in East Palestine.

“The facts don’t lie. The 2021 letter you signed was clearly drafted by rail industry lobbyists. He supports a waiver that would reduce visual trail inspections,” he wrote. “Now: will you vote to help us strengthen accountability and rail safety fines, or not?”