Not long after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began to ship out contaminated soil to other states. What could go wrong with that? Well, we found out on April 10, 2023, when a truck hauling the contaminated soil overturned spilled more than half of its contents before even making it out of the state. Officials have stated that this incident is not a threat to those nearby.
Not only has the EPA been shipping out contaminated soil but also contaminated water. State officials in both Texas and Michigan--which are states receiving hazardous waste from the East Palestine derailment- have stated that they were unprepared and unnotified that they were to be storing said waste.
Overall, this derailment has only displayed the crumbling railroad system in the United States. This derailment has also proven how ineffective the U.S. is at responding to environmental and health emergencies.
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