Soil Sampling Efforts Continue in East Palestine EAST PALESTINE, Ohio - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Norfolk Southern contractors continue soil sampling at agricultural, residential, commercial, and recreational properties in both Ohio and Pennsylvania. This week, community members may see crews in neon vests in community right of ways to conduct soil sampling, looking for ash or soot from the burn that may have been carried by the wind from the derailment site. EPA and Norfolk Southern contractors have collected 52 soil samples and 25 sites have been inspected. Operational Updates The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) During excavation activities, EPA and Norfolk Southern are conducting air monitoring within the work zone and throughout the surrounding community. While EPA does not anticipate exceedances of levels of health concern as a result of the removal work, we are carefully overseeing this work to ensure residents' safety. This includes continued air monitoring and sampling at the site and throughout the community as well as the use of EPA's Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer (TAGA) mobile laboratory which is conducting an air monitoring route near the soil excavation area. EPA has conducted 615 home re-entry screenings to date and continues 24/7 air monitoring at 23 stations throughout the community. No detections of vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride have been identified. EPA's community welcome center at 25 North Market Street continues to be open to the community from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. EPA personnel have been on the ground since the train derailment, working alongside federal, state, and local partners. Read details at EPA's East Palestine. Ohio Train Derailment Emergency Response website. See operational updates from other agencies supporting this incident response below. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) FEMA has been working closely with the state since the beginning of this incident and has been in constant contact regarding emergency operations since February 4less than 12 hours after the train derailment. In total, FEMA deployed 70 personnel to help coordinate this multiagency effort and get the people of East Palestine connected to critical information and resources. Specifically, FEMA recently supported Interagency Community Outreach teams with door-to-door outreach in the affected area, sharing valuable information with residents and businesses. These teams engaged with affected residents in the community and more than 2,200 flyers were distributed to individuals or dropped off at their homes and businesses. Department of Transportation (DOT) & National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) DOT's Pipeline and Flazardous Materials Safety Administration (PFIMSA) recently urged all railroad operators to create and maintain emergency response plans for the transport of hazardous materials, strengthen the accessibility of the AskRail system, and inform PFIMSA when they identify responders who are not able to access PFIMSA's grant-funded training. Read the PFIMSA Safety Advisory Notice: Railroad Emergency Preparedness. NTSB, an independent federal agency, is leading the investigation into the cause of the derailment. Read NTSBs recently issued an Investigative Update with factual findings on their investigation on the ground. ------- Within hours of the derailment, staff from the Federal Railroad Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration staff were on the scene to support the NTSB investigation. Upon completion of the investigation, DOT will use all relevant authorities to ensure accountability and improve safety. DOT is demanding immediate actions from the Class I railroads, announcing continued and expanded action from DOT, and calling on Congress to take actions that will hold the industry accountable. Norfolk Southern Corporation Soil removal continues on the south side of site. This work includes conducting soil sampling, removing tracks in sections, removing soil, and placing it in a staging area for testing and disposal. Liquid waste continues to be removed from the site (5.7 million gallons to date) and shipped to permitted disposal facilities. All rail cars have been removed from the site. For daily updates community members can view the Norfolk Southern website https://nsmakingitright.com/. ### ------- |