Trump visits East Palestine Ohio amidst community outrage

The Norfolk Southern freight train derailment has disrupted life amid concerns about toxic chemicals released into the environment.

Federal environmental regulators on Tuesday took charge of the cleanup from the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment and chemical burn and ordered Norfolk Southern to foot the bill.

The Environmental Protection Agency told Norfolk Southern to take all available measures to clean up contaminated air and water, and also said the company would be required to reimburse the federal government for a new program to provide cleaning services for impacted residents and businesses.

The EPA warned Norfolk Southern that if failed to comply with its order, the agency would perform the work itself and seek triple damages from the company.

“The Norfolk Southern train derailment has upended the lives of East Palestine families, and EPA’s order will ensure the company is held accountable for jeopardizing the health and safety of this community,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a statement ahead of a planned news conference with the governors of Ohio and Pennsylvania.

“Let me be clear: Norfolk Southern will pay for cleaning up the mess they created and for the trauma they’ve inflicted on this community," he said.

The agency said it would release more details on the cleanup service for residents and businesses this week.

The agency said its order marked the end of the “emergency” phase of the Feb. 3 derailment and the beginning of long-term remediation phase in the East Palestine area.

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw reiterated promises to restore the site and invest in the community.

“From day one, I’ve made the commitment that Norfolk Southern is going to remediate the site, we’re going to do continuous long-term air and water monitoring, we’re going to help the residents of this community recover, and we’re going to invest in the long-term health of this community. And we’re going to make Norfolk Southern a safer railroad," he told reporters.

Some 50 freight cars derailed on the outskirts of East Palestine, near the Pennsylvania state line, prompting persistent environmental and health concerns. The derailment prompted an evacuation as fears grew about a potential explosion of smoldering wreckage.