On this edition of Your Call, we get the latest on the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
Shortly after the disaster, local officials decided to drain nearly 116,000 gallons of vinyl chloride into a ditch and set it on fire in a "controlled burn," in order to avoid an explosion. Two days after the burn, residents were allowed back into their homes, before any testing for carcinogenic dioxins and other poisonous chemicals had been done.
In a recent New York Times opinion piece, former EPA official Judith Enck asks: Why has the EPA allowed the horrific situation in Ohio to continue?
Guest:
Judith Enck, senior fellow and visiting faculty member in the Center for the Advancement of Public Action at Bennington College, president of Beyond Plastics, and former EPA Regional Administrator with the Obama administration
Web Resources:
NBC: Norfolk Southern train derails in Alabama hours before CEO testifies before Congress
HuffPost: Ohio's Toxic Train Disaster Follows ‘Perfect Storm’ Of Cuts, Deregulation
The Nation: The Ohio Derailment Catastrophe Is a Case Study in Disaster Capitalism
The New York Times: Over 1,000 Trains Derail Every Year in America. Let’s Bring That Number Down.
Wired: The Ohio Derailment Lays Bare the Hellish Plastic Crisis
Independent: Norfolk Southern gave donation to Ohio governor one month before East Palestine disaster
The Lever: After Norfolk Southern Support, DeWine Says No Disaster In East Palestine