East Palestine, Ohio –
Contaminated waste from a train derailment site in Ohio began moving again on Monday after concerns were raised over the weekend about monitoring the destination, federal officials said.
The Environmental Protection Agency also announced that two new hazardous waste disposal sites, an incinerator in Grafton, Ohio and a landfill in Rochdale, Indiana, will receive part of the shipment.
The EPA is now seeking to obtain enough certified facilities to collect all waste from the Feb. 3 derailment site in eastern Palestine, said Debra, EPA’s regional administrator. Mr Shore said.
Authorities on Saturday ordered Norfolk Southern to “pause” shipments to allow for additional surveillance measures. Some liquid and solid waste has already been taken to sites in Michigan and Texas.
About 1.8 million gallons of liquid waste was recovered from the derailment site, according to the Ohio EPA.
A portion of the remaining liquid waste is transported to the Vickery, Ohio facility for disposal in an underground injection well. Norfolk Southern also transports solid waste to his Liverpool, Ohio incinerator.
No one was injured when 38 railcars derailed more than three weeks ago. After growing concerns about a possible explosion, authorities opted to release toxic vinyl chloride from five tanker trucks and burn them, sending black smoke into the sky.
Federal and state officials have repeatedly said air tests in villages and hundreds of homes did not detect worrying levels of contaminants. The state also says the municipal drinking water system is safe. Despite the guarantees, many residents are concerned about what they have been exposed to and how it will affect their communities.
