U.S. Environmental Protection officials say today that trucks have resumed shipping contaminated materials away from where a train that carried toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.
The EPA paused the shipments late last week after lawmakers in Michigan and Texas raised concerns about the waste being disposed in their states.
Norfolk Southern was in sole charge of transporting contaminated soil and liquid away from the site.
But the EPA began reviewing the railroads’ safety protocols after Michigan and Texas officials complained they were blindsided by news that the hazardous waste would be dumped in their states.
U.S. EPA Region Five Administrator Debra Shore says truckloads of the soil are now in Michigan, and thousands of gallons of firefighting liquid in Texas.
“That material was already vetted and is at those facilities. But they are not currently accepting any more. We’re exploring to see whether they have capacity.”
She says new shipments of the contaminated waste head for two sites in Ohio today.