The Upper Ohio River Valley has been layered in industrial pollution for centuries, and residents are fed up.
— translucent plastic pellets the size of a grain of arborio rice — that make up many household and single-use plastics.
Residents of eastern Beaver County, which is quite rural, say that they have not personally felt the adverse effects of the Shell plant. They do not smell chemicals in the air or see nurdles floating in the creeks near their homes, unlike those who live downstream of the plant. They are more or less protected by the same topography that traps pollution around the facilities that create it, with a buffer of hills and hollers that rise and fall between their communities and the plant itself.
When Norfolk Southern performed the controlled burn-off of vinyl chloride on February 6, Stidmon recalled, “it looked like the end of the world with the smoke coming up.” He’s now watching the wells and ponds on his property daily, with no other option than to simply wait for testing to learn if carcinogenic chemicals from the derailment have leached into the aquifer. He’s optimistic that his water supply will be spared of contamination, simply because he’s upstream of the crash.
Stidmon had been anticipating a disaster like this for years. In 2016, he was on the Darlington Township’s Board of Supervisors, where he began to raise the issue of railroad safety. He was concerned by the sheer volume and frequency of trains routed along the track that wraps around Darlington, running north through the village of New Galilee, east across Enon Valley, and over the state border into East Palestine.
Jason Blinkiewicz owns the trucking company and repair shop Lync, which is located a little over a mile from the derailment. He lives in Enon Valley, where the railroad runs right in front of his house. He, like most of his neighbors and employees, doesn’t trust Norfolk Southern and assurances from the Environmental Protection Agency that the air and water have been safe to breathe and drink.
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også lese nyheter som ligner på denne som vi har samlet inn fra andre nyhetskilder.
Biden aides weigh economic aid for East Palestine after derailmentThe administration has faced criticism over its handling of the train derailment and chemical spill
Les mer »
Bipartisan Senate group introduces rail safety bill in response to East Palestine derailmentA bipartisan group of six senators, including the two from Ohio, introduced rail safety legislation aimed at preventing future derailments following the toxic train disaster in East Palestine, Ohio.
Les mer »
Bipartisan group of senators proposes railway safety bill after East Palestine derailmentA group of bipartisan senators unveiled legislation Wednesday to tighten train safety standards after last month's train derailment in Ohio, but House Republicans remain wary of new regulations on the rail industry.
Les mer »
Senators Introduce Railway Safety Bill in Aftermath of East Palestine DerailmentSix U.S. Senators introduced legislation Wednesday to improve safety on the nation’s railways following the devastating train derailment and “controlled” chemical burn in East Palestine, Ohio.
Les mer »
Ohio Senators Lead Rail-Safety Push After East Palestine Train DerailmentOhio senators are leading a bipartisan effort to respond to last month’s train derailment in their state, proposing legislation that would subject railroads to a series of new federal safety regulations and increase fines for wrongdoing
Les mer »