AP: Soil removal from Ohio train derailment site is nearly done, but cleanup isn't over
Soil removal from Ohio train derailment site is nearly done, but cleanup isnt overBY JOSH FUNK
Updated 7:02 PM EDT, October 26, 2023
The removal of contaminated soil from the eastern Ohio site of Februarys fiery
Norfolk Southern derailment is expected to be completed sometime this weekend, although the larger cleanup effort isnt over.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials and the railroad announced the milestone Thursday in East Palestine. It comes nearly nine months after the derailment forced thousands from their homes near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Area residents still have lingering fears about
potential health effects from the assortment of toxic chemicals that spilled, and the vinyl chloride that was released a few days after the crash to keep five tank cars from exploding.
The derailment has inspired
nationwide worries about
railroad safety and prompted members of Congress and regulators to propose reforms, however that bill has
largely stalled.
Since the Feb. 3 derailment, the railroad has removed more than 167,000 tons of contaminated soil and more than 39 million gallons of tainted water from the site where hazardous materials spilled and
were released from tank cars.