“You get the impression that they just regard this as the cost of doing business,” Good Jobs First research director Phil Mattera toldThe AgeandTheSydney Morning Herald. “They just go on paying the fines and it doesn’t seem like they take enough remedial action to address the problems.”
Chris Wallace and his partner,Jamie,were among those who left their home,which sits about two metres from a creek that runs through the centre of East Palestine and is now contaminated.
The couple and their three-year-old daughter initially took shelter at a relative’s house nearby,before moving into a hotel in the neighbouring state of West Virginia. They have refused to go home despite the evacuation order being lifted.
“On that first night,our noses felt burnt,our throat,our lungs – it was terrible,” said Wallace.
“And I’ve never had foot odour in my life – my old lady can vouch for that – but I’ve been through two pairs of shoes because my feet feel like they’re detoxing from the chemicals constantly. It’s insanity.”
East Palestine has since become a hotbed for politicians,lawyers and celebrity activists. Trump,who is running for re-election next year and still has many loyal supporters in rural Ohio,will visit on Wednesday (US time),followed on Friday by environmental activist Erin Brockovich,who will hold a town hall meeting with a group of lawyers.
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President Joe Biden has sent a series of tweets telling residents “we’ve got your back” after being criticised for visiting Ukraine before Ohio,while Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg has called on Congress to raise the cap on fines for railroad safety breaches. Under federal rules,the current maximum fine is $US225,455. Norfolk Southern’s revenue last year was $US12.7 billion.
On Wednesday,Environmental Protection Authority boss Michael Regan volunteered to drink tap water during a visit to a woman’s home to demonstrate that it was safe. He also announced the EPA had taken control of the clean-up and had ordered Norfolk Southern to foot the bill.
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“It cannot undo the nightmare that families in this town have been living with,but it will begin to deliver much-needed justice for the pain that has caused,” he said.
So far,about 6.8 tonnes of contaminated soil and 4 million litres of contaminated water have been removed from the site. Norfolk Southern chief executive Alan Shaw visited the town on Sunday after refusing to appear at an earlier community meeting,and pledged “to do the right things to help East Palestine recover and thrive again”.
Asked about the company’s record of violations,a spokesperson said reportable injuries had declined more than 20 per cent between 2020 and 2021,and a further 20 per cent last year.
“We diligently monitor our trains and infrastructure to identify potential hazards,and we invest approximately a billion dollars into maintaining our infrastructure annually,” the spokesperson said. “Our industry-leading engineering and mechanical teams are executing projects that enhance our inspection quality and infrastructure to provide safer outcomes.”
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