ALL NEWS

No warning for Texas, Michigan officials about tainted Ohio soil

Feb 25, 2023, 12:38 PM | Updated: Feb 26, 2023, 12:40 pm
Officials in Texas and Michigan are complaining they didn't receive any warning that contaminated w...
Officials in Texas and Michigan are complaining they didn't receive any warning that contaminated water and soil from the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. (Ohio EPA)
(Ohio EPA)

(CNN) — The federal Environmental Protection Agency has ordered Norfolk Southern to stop its shipments of hazardous waste from the site of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, so that it can review the company’s plans for disposal.

Officials in Texas and Michigan are complaining they didn’t receive any warning that contaminated water and soil from the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, would be shipped into their jurisdictions for disposal.

About 2 million gallons of firefighting water from the train derailment site were expected to be disposed in Harris County, Texas, with about half a million gallons already there, according to the county’s chief executive.

“It’s a very real problem, we were told yesterday the materials were coming only to learn today they’ve been here for a week,” Judge Lina Hidalgo said Thursday.

“EPA will ensure that all waste is disposed of in a safe and lawful manner at EPA-certified facilities to prevent further release of hazardous substances and impacts to communities,” the department said in a statement to CNN on Saturday.

Until Friday, Norfolk Southern “had been solely responsible for the disposal of waste generated by the East Palestine train derailment,” the department said, but waste disposal plans “will be subject to EPA review and approval moving forward.”

CNN has reached out to Norfolk Southern for comment.

Contaminated soil from the derailment site was being taken to the US Ecology Wayne Disposal in Belleville, Michigan, US Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan said Friday.

She told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield on Saturday that neither she nor Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were aware of plans for toxic waste to be delivered to disposal sites in her district.

“I called everybody,” Dingell said, “Nobody had really been given a heads up that they were coming here.”

Dingell represents Michigan’s sixth congressional district which is home to two waste disposal sites.

“When I learned of this yesterday, the first call that I got, I immediately called the governor’s office, assuming that they would know about it,” she said.”What quickly became evident is that none of the elected officials, none of the local officials, knew that this material was on its way.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said 4,832 cubic yards of soil have been removed from the ground in East Palestine and about six truckloads were on the way to Michigan.

The complaints widen the controversy caused by the February 3 train derailment that left residents complaining about feeling sick after hazardous chemicals seeped into the air, water and soil.

A National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report found that one of the train’s cars carrying plastic pellets was heated by a hot axle that sparked the initial fire, according to Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the safety board.

Residents worry rashes and headaches may be tied to chemicals from train crash

As the temperature of the bearing got hotter, the train passed by two wayside defect detectors that did not trigger an audible alarm message because the heat threshold was not met at that point, Homendy explained. A third detector eventually picked up the high temperature, but it was already too late by then.

“This was 100% preventable. … There is no accident,” Homendy said during a news conference Thursday.

Texas official learned about the shipments from the news

In a news conference Thursday, Hidalgo expressed frustration that she first learned about the expected water shipments Wednesday from the news media — not from a government agency or Texas Molecular, the company hired to dispose of the water.

Hidalgo said Texas Molecular told her office Thursday that half a million gallons of the water was already in the county and the shipments began arriving around last Wednesday.

She added that although there’s no legal requirement for her office to be notified, “it doesn’t quite seem right.”

Texas Molecular is receiving the water from trucks, but it’s unclear if trucks are used for the entire trip, Hidalgo said. The company told her office they had been receiving about 30 trucks of water a day, she said.

Texas Molecular said Friday that all shipments, so far, had come by truck for the entire trip.

“Texas Molecular neither transports nor selects the mode of transportation for the water,” Jimmy Bracher, vice president of sales for VLS Environmental Solutions, which owns Texas Molecular, told CNN in a statement Friday evening.

“The company that generates the waste will determine/select who ships the wastewater and they must be DOT and EPA approved transporters,” Bracher said.

On Thursday, Texas Molecular told CNN it has been hired to dispose of potentially dangerous water from the Ohio train derailment. The company said they are experts with more than four decades of experience in managing water safely.

Hidalgo’s office has been seeking information about the disposal, including the chemical composition of the firefighting water, the precautions that were being taken, and why Harris County was the chosen site, she said.

“There’s nothing right now to tell me — to tell us — there’s going to be an accident in transport, that this is being done in such a way that is not compatible with the well, that there’s a nefarious reason why the water is coming here and not to a closer site,” Hidalgo said. “But it is our job to do basic due diligence on that information.”

More than 1.7 million gallons of contaminated liquid has been removed from the immediate site of the derailment, according to a Thursday news release from the Ohio Emergency Management Agency. Of this, more than 1.1 million gallons of “contaminated liquid” from East Palestine has so far been transported off-site, with the majority going to Texas Molecular and the rest going to a facility in Vickery, Ohio.

CNN has asked the Ohio agency the location of the remaining 581,500 gallons which has been “removed” but not “hauled off-site” and has yet to receive a response.

‘We learned about it via the grapevine,’ Dingell says

Wayne County, Michigan, officials have been in contact with officials with a variety of federal and state agencies, along with the train company involved in the derailment since learning of the transportation of the contaminated materials, Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans said in a news conference on Friday evening. Evans said the county did not receive a call from anyone that this was happening.

“Doing it in a way that doesn’t let citizens of Wayne County know that it’s coming just looks nefarious to me,” Evans said.

Officials are not aware if this move was done “maliciously or not” but says there are “disconnects,” Evans said.

“We learned about it via the grapevine and then saw Governor DeWine announced it on his site,” Dingell said in a news conference.

Five trucks have been transported to the area so far, 99% with contaminated water and 1% with contaminated soil, according to Dingell. The truck containing soil could have been transported to the area as early mid-week, Dingell added.

Train crew not at fault, NTSB chair says

The 149-car train operated by Norfolk Southern had three employees on board: a locomotive engineer, a conductor and a trainee who were all in the head end of the locomotive, Homendy told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Thursday.

So far, the investigation found the crew did not do anything wrong prior to the derailment, though the crash was “100% preventable,” she said.

The next phase of the investigation will examine the train’s wheelset and bearing as well as the damage from the derailment, the NTSB report noted. The agency will also focus on the designs of tank cars and railcars, along with maintenance procedures and practices.

Investigators will also review the train operator’s use of wayside defect detectors and the company’s railcar inspection practices. More specifically, determining what caused the wheel bearing failure will be key to the investigation, Homendy said.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here.

Today’s Top Stories

All News

The US Capitol Police force "is not currently tracking any direct or credible threats to the US Cap...
Priscilla Alvarez, Devan Cole, Alex Marquardt and Holmes Lybrand, CNN

Capitol Police see no current threat to US Capitol, but DC prepares after Trump calls for potential indictment protests

 (CNN) — The US Capitol Police force “is not currently tracking any direct or credible threats to the US Capitol” ahead of a possible indictment of former President Donald Trump, according to a department intelligence assessment obtained by CNN. But officials in Washington are preparing for demonstrations that could erupt, a district official told CNN on Monday. […]
6 hours ago
Pictured is one of two guns seized by police at Highland High School on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. Sal...
Mark Jones

Salt Lake City Police to host gun buy-back event on Saturday

A gun buy-back event will be held Saturday, March 25. It is being put on by the Salt Lake City Police Department.
1 day ago
Former President Donald J. Trump watches the NCAA Wrestling Championships, Saturday, March 18, 2023...
Mark Jones

D2 gets to the bottom of the impending arrest of former President Trump

Dave and Dujanovic talk to a reporter from NewsNation about the looming arrest of former President Trump.
1 day ago
Rain barrels...
Britt Johnson

Utah Rivers Council selling discounted rain barrels as effort toward water conservation

SALT LAKE CITY — People can save thousands of gallons just by collecting water in rain barrels. A program by the Utah Rivers Council is selling rain barrels at a discount right now. It hopes that more Utahns will embrace the use of rain barrels. Collecting rainwater at home has more of an impact than […]
1 day ago
An open house for the Richmond Virginia Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints w...
Mark Jones

Open house for Richmond Virginia Temple begins this week

The Richmond Virginia Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will have an open house beginning this week that will run through April 15.
1 day ago
A man walks past piles of garbage in Paris, Monday, March 13, 2023. A contentious bill that would r...
Curt Gresseth

When is the right age to retire?

In France, the retirement age has increased from 62 to 64, and protesters are out in force. A financial planner joins the show to talk about Social Security’s future and the best age to retire.
1 day ago

Sponsored Articles

Cheerful young woman writing an assignment while sitting at desk between two classmates during clas...
BYU EMBA at the Marriott School of Business

Hear it Firsthand: 6 Students Share Their Executive MBA Experience at BYU’s Marriott School of Business

The Executive MBA program at BYU offers great opportunities. Hear experiences straight from students enrolled in the program.
Skier being towed by a rider on a horse. Skijoring....
Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau

Looking for a new winter activity? Try skijoring in Bear Lake

Skijoring is when someone on skis is pulled by a horse, dog, animal, or motor vehicle. The driver leads the skiers through an obstacle course over jumps, hoops, and gates.
Banner with Cervical Cancer Awareness Realistic Ribbon...
Intermountain Health

Five common causes of Cervical Cancer – and what you can do to lower your risk

January is National Cervical Cancer Awareness month and cancer experts at Intermountain Health are working to educate women about cervical cancer.
Kid holding a cisco fish at winterfest...
Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau

Get ready for fun at the 2023 Bear Lake Monster Winterfest

The Bear Lake Monster Winterfest is an annual weekend event jam-packed full of fun activities the whole family can enjoy.
happy friends with sparklers at christmas dinner...
Macey's

15 easy Christmas dinner ideas

We’ve scoured the web for you and narrowed down a few of our favorite Christmas dinner ideas to make your planning easy.
Spicy Homemade Loaded Taters Tots...
Macey's

5 Game Day Snacks for the Whole Family (with recipes!)

Try these game day snacks to make watching football at home with your family feel like a special occasion. 
No warning for Texas, Michigan officials about tainted Ohio soil