The East Palestine Train Derailment

Earlier this month, an environmental disaster caused by a train derailment in a west Ohio town has resulted in close scrutiny from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). On February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, resulting in a chemical spill of millions of liters of toxic liquids. Among the spill’s immediate effects were chemical leakage into local water supplies and air pollution originating from a controlled burn. The EPA has since stepped in to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for the clean-up, but unanswered compliance questions still remain.