The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is ordering Norfolk Southern to clean up and pay for the cleanup costs after one of its trains derailed and spilled chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio.
The legally binding order will require the company to identify and clean up contaminated soil and water, reimburse the EPA for the cleaning that it is doing and attend public meetings at the agency’s request, according to a press release from the agency.
The train derailment spilled a number of chemicals into the area, including a carcinogen called vinyl chloride that is used to make plastic.
Officials temporarily evacuated the area, but have since said it is safe to return. Many community members, however, continue to express concerns about the air and water quality since the incident.
“Norfolk Southern will pay for cleaning up the mess that they created and the trauma that they inflicted on this community,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Under the newly announced order, the EPA will approve a work plan outlining the steps needed to clean up the environmental damage that the derailment caused. If Norfolk Southern doesn’t abide by the plan, the EPA will do the work and charge the company triple the cost.
The statement from the EPA said that this order marks a transition in response efforts from an emergency phase to a long-term cleanup phase.
The Hill has reached out to Norfolk Southern for comment.
Updated at 12:51 p.m.
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