EPA, state agencies visit Darlington Township farm to talk aftermath of East Palestine train derailment
Federal and state environmental agencies visited Pennsylvania and Ohio farms to listen to farmers’ experiences following the East Palestine train derailment
Federal and state environmental agencies visited Pennsylvania and Ohio farms to listen to farmers’ experiences following the East Palestine train derailment
Federal and state environmental agencies visited Pennsylvania and Ohio farms to listen to farmers’ experiences following the East Palestine train derailment
Federal and state environmental agencies spent Thursday visiting Pennsylvania and Ohio farms near the East Palestine train derailment site.
The goal of the visits was for representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio EPA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Ohio Farm Bureau and the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau to listen to farmers' experiences following the controlled release of toxic chemicals from the derailed train cars.
Rachel Wagoner, co-manager of Tall Pines Farms, said the farm is about 3.5 miles southeast of the train derailment site in Darlington Township.
“They had to worry about all of the people in the city center, you know. People out in rural Darlington, were we as much of a concern? Not immediately,” Wagoner said.
Wagoner said that changed soon after, with an open line of communication with state and federal environmental agencies.
“We are a grass-fed, pasture-based farm. We sell directly to consumers, so people, you know, have questions about, is it safe if the ground on your farm and your animals were exposed to the smog from the chemical burn?” Wagoner said.
Rod Snyder, senior agriculture advisor for the EPA, said more than 100 soil samples have been done on both the Ohio and Pennsylvania sides of the derailment and on Tall Pines Farms.
“Over the last several months, we've been doing soil testing to make sure that the chemicals from the incident aren't causing long-term problems for plants, or animals, or for the soil,” Snyder said.
He said, so far, so good — but their monitoring won't let up.
“We are here for the long haul to hold Norfolk Southern accountable, to make sure that the cleanup is going as it should,” Snyder said.
Wagoner said she wants continued transparency and resources should their farms see long-term effects.
“There needs to be resources available for farmers down the road if they have issues, whether environmentally or financially,” she said.
Wagoner said she's been honest with her customers since the derailment, but only time will tell if the derailment aftermath leads to a loss in customers.