Regan, Michael
Fri, May 5, 2:39 PM (4 days ago) 
 
Dear Werner:

I would like to offer my appreciation to you for writing and sharing your thoughts with me on the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. I highly value hearing from people who share my deep concerns about the environmental consequences facing everyone who has been touched by this crisis.

During the multiple trips I have taken to East Palestine, I have met with many residents, families, first responders, students, business owners and community leaders. They are worried about the train derailment’s impact on their health and the environment and want to know that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is holding Norfolk Southern accountable for the costs of cleanup and helping to ensure the water is safe to drink and the air is safe to breathe.

Let me assure you that within hours of the Norfolk Southern train derailment, the EPA deployed personnel to work closely with state and local officials who were leading emergency-response efforts. We have established a unified command to coordinate the cleanup efforts; have deployed dozens of EPA on-scene coordinators, agency scientists and regional teams that are monitoring air quality, screened homes for contaminants, and sampled water, soil and sediment; and are ensuring Norfolk Southern is held liable for the cleanup.

During my first visit to East Palestine, I promised that the EPA would be there until the job is done and done right. I assured the people of East Palestine that they will not have to figure out what comes next on their own. That’s why we opened the EPA Community Welcome Center to provide the community with a one-stop shop for information and resources about the ongoing response to the derailment. That’s also why we issued an order holding Norfolk Southern accountable, an order that utilizes one of the EPA’s strongest authorities to hold a company accountable for jeopardizing people’s health and safety.

The EPA also deployed a mobile laboratory that performs real-time air monitoring and sampling analyses during the cleanup phase. Working in coordination with federal, state and local public-health agencies, the real-time data allows the EPA to ensure that the removal of waste is done in a manner that protects people’s health.

The residents in East Palestine and all those affected in the surrounding communities of Ohio and Pennsylvania want to be informed and, where possible, empowered to improve this difficult situation. To efficiently share data and information about the EPA’s work on the train derailment, we set up a toll-free information line for residents and built a special website. The website provides current information on air- and water-quality monitoring as well as a list of questions and answers on related issues.

In addition to the efforts of the EPA, President Joe Biden directed that every resource be available to help East Palestine and all those affected by the Norfolk Southern train derailment. Representatives from across the federal government, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Transportation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are contributing to the comprehensive federal response.

Small teams from these agencies have visited the homes of hundreds of residents to check on their wellness and provide access to resources. The EPA and the rest of the federal government will support the people affected by the Norfolk Southern train derailment for as long as it may take.

I am inspired by concerned people like you and the many others from across America who have written and who join me and my EPA colleagues in supporting East Palestine and all those whose lives have been impacted by the Norfolk Southern train derailment. You have my deepest gratitude and warmest regards.

Sincerely yours,

Michael S. Regan

Administrator