Ohio’s polluted water and dirt sent to other states – secretly

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Officials from Texas and Michigan say they were unaware that soil and water from the site of the East Palestine, Ohio, freight train derailment was being taken to their areas.

The Norfolk Southern train carrying vinyl chloride, which derailed in East Palestine on Feb. 3. caused hazardous chemicals to spill onto the ground and sent a plume of smoke into the air. Fire fighters used water which became contaminated and puddled on the ground and spread to local rivers.

Days after the derailment, officials conducted a controlled release of chemicals to avoid the risk of an explosion. Since then, wastewater and soil from the site of the derailment was taken to hazardous waste companies in both Texas and Michigan, although officials claim that they didn’t get any notice and were alerted by the press.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Protection agency told Fox News Digital that Norfolk Southern was in charge of the disposal of waste from the East Palestine derailment, adding that “The company supplied Ohio EPA with their list of selected and utilized disposal facilities on February 23.”

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s office says that some of the hazardous waste has already been taken to the locations in Texas and Michigan.

“Of the twenty truckloads (approximately 280 tons) of hazardous solid waste hauled away from the derailment site, 15 truckloads of contaminated soil had already been disposed of at the licensed hazardous waste treatment and disposal facility in Michigan. Five truckloads of contaminated soil were returned to East Palestine,” an update from DeWine’s office read on Saturday. “The licensed hazardous waste treatment and disposal facility in Texas will dispose of liquid waste that has already been trucked out of East Palestine, but no additional liquid waste will be accepted at the Texas facility at this time.”

“We were not given a heads up on this reported action. Our priority is to always keep the people we represent safe. We are making inquiries of EPA, DOT, Norfolk Southern, U.S. Ecology, the state of Ohio, and all others involved to understand what is being shipped, whether these are approved storage facilities, the implications of this decision, and how we ensure the safety of all Michigan residents,” Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-MI.

Officials with the Environmental Protection Agency previously said they have approved the shipment of contaminated waste to two EPA-certified sites in Ohio: Heritage Thermal Services in East Liverpool and Vickery Environmental in Vickery. Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore said Monday two more sites – one in Ohio and one in Indiana – will also receive waste from the derailment scene.