Kelly’s roundtable meetings yield clear concerns about East Palestine train derailment
After U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, met twice with residents and officials directly impacted by the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, its evident that safety remains of the utmost concern for the community, Matt Knoedler, communications director and spokesperson for Kelly said in a Friday email.
Kelly’s two recent roundtable meetings with officials from the Beaver-Lawrence Farm Bureau, Lawrence County, residents and local officials have been held for Kelly and his team to learn more about the impact of the Feb. 3 incident on the local agricultural industry.
“So far, the message has been clear, residents and farmers need more resources to ensure the water and soil quality are acceptable and livable,” Knoedler said Friday.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency initially established a 1-mile radius around the derailment site for residents to receive testing, and the state Department of Environmental Protection later established a 2-mile radius, he explained.
“Lawrence County is approximately 3 miles away from the derailment site, leaving thousands of vulnerable Pennsylvanians without adequate free water and soil testing,” Knoedler said. “Rep. Kelly has continued to push for additional resources, including … demanding the EPA expand the 1-mile radius to include more Pennsylvanians who were impacted by the chemical burnoff last month. We still have not received a response from the EPA.”
Questions about the safety of water and soil were discussed at both recent meetings — one in Wampum and another in Enon Valley, Pa., both of which are located within a few miles from the crash site.
