Gov. DeWine asks Congress to change rules for hazardous trains after Ohio disaster
Breanne Deppisch
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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) called on Congress Tuesday to change requirements for hazardous trains, saying that the state was not notified about the dangerous chemicals carried by the train that derailed in East Palestine earlier this month.
DeWine said at a press conference he had been told that the Norfolk Southern train was not considered a “high hazardous material” train and was, therefore, not required to notify the state about what materials it was carrying when it derailed on Feb. 3.
OHIO TRAIN DERAILMENT PRELIMINARY SAFETY REPORT TO BE RELEASED TWO WEEKS AFTER CRASH
“Frankly, if this is true, and I’m told it’s true, this is absurd,” DeWine said.
Ten of the 50 cars that derailed near the state’s eastern border contained hazardous chemicals — among them vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, and other combustible liquids.
DeWine said Tuesday that the state faced “two bad options” when deciding whether or not to order the controlled release.
“One option was to do nothing and wait for the car to explode,” DeWine said. He said an explosion was described as highly probable.
That explosion would have been “catastrophic,” DeWine said, adding that he was told it would have resulted in shrapnel shooting out from the site and reaching as far as a mile from the derailment.
Ohio EPA officials said Tuesday that they had found detectable levels of only two contaminants, butyl acrylate and ethylhexyl acrylate, in the Ohio River, and were working with Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission to ensure the contaminants are filtered out of drinking water and not passed on to customers.
No vinyl chloride, a chemical linked to liver damage and a rare form of liver cancer in cases of acute exposure, has been detected in any of the downgradient waterways, officials added.
Still, Ohio Health Department officials said Tuesday that they are “strongly recommending” derailment area residents use bottled water provided by the state until they can get their water supplies tested for contaminants.
Bottled water “is going to be particularly important” for those that are pregnant, breastfeeding, or preparing formula for infants, Ohio Department of Health director Bruce Vanderhoff said.
Officials from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday that there does not appear to be an increase in the number of fish or aquatic creatures killed since the first couple days of the derailment, and they have not seen any evidence of non-aquatic species suffering from the derailment, despite complaints from residents living in the area.
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The Ohio Department of Transportation is conducting an investigation into the train derailment, and the City of East Palestine has scheduled an emergency council meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 15, to respond to the growing number of residents’ concerns over the incident.