As the clean-up efforts resume in East Palestine, Ohio, the Environmental Protection Agency has rolled out its plan to haul away lots of contaminated soil and water from the site of a train derailment there.
Debra Shore, Regional Administrator with the EPA, said on Monday that three additional hazardous waste processing sites in Ohio would be receiving soil and water shipments from East Palestine.
She also said that a landfill in Indiana would be receiving some shipments.
“We’ve continued working with the railroad and our state partners to identify other disposal locations,” Shore said. “In addition, the railroad will begin shipping waste to the Heritage Environmental Services Hazardous Waste Landfill in Roachdale, Indiana.”
That landfill is in the far northern portions of Putnam County.
Shore indicated that they had informed the state of Indiana of their plans to ship waste to Roachdale before rolling the plan out on Monday.
However, Governor Eric Holcomb has released a statement on the decision by the EPA:
“I continue to object to the EPA Administrator’s decision, from Washington, D.C., to move hazardous waste from the East Palestine train derailment to Indiana. Further, there has been a lack of communication with me and other Indiana officials about this decision.
After learning third-hand that materials may be transported to our state yesterday, I directed my environmental director to reach out to the agency. The materials should go to the nearest facilities, not moved from the far eastern side of Ohio to the far western side of Indiana. I have made a request to speak to the administrator to discuss this matter. I want to know exactly what precautions will be taken in the transport and disposition of the materials.
The contaminated waste is going to the Heritage Environmental Services Landfill in Roachdale. The landfill is isolated from people and the facility has received certified approval over the years for governing the proper management of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste. Roachdale is a town of about 1,000 people in Putnam County.
