Norfolk Southern gives access to remediation site ahead of 1-year mark of derailment

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Less than two weeks from now will mark one year since a Norfolk Southern train hauling toxic chemicals derailed in a fiery crash in East Palestine, Ohio, just feet from the Beaver County line.

WPXI was given access to tour the site. It’s the closest any reporter has gotten to where the train cars derailed last Feb. 3.

We put on our PPE, including a hard hat and safety glasses, to learn more about Norfolk Southern’s remediation efforts. Nearly one year ago, charred rail cars, still smoldering, were crumpled up in a resting point that looks completely different from the site today.

>> Vinyl chloride: What we know about the toxic chemical released at East Palestine train derailment

Chris Hunsicker is Norfolk Southern’s incident commander for this site. He also manages environmental operations.

“That whole area in there - that’s where the incident happened,” Hunsicker told Channel 11. “That’s all been dug out, that’s all been restored.”

To date:

• 42.8 million gallons of water have been recovered and removed
• 176,000+ tons of waste soil have been removed
• 5,200 feet of waterways have been flushed

Norfolk Southern says all of their work is monitored by the US EPA and Ohio EPA.

>> Last load of contaminated soil removed from site of East Palestine train derailment

“They’ve got their people, their representatives, their contractors who are out, embedded among ours while we do work to make sure it’s done to their standards,” Hunsicker added.

Norfolk Southern says the air, water and soil are all safe - that’s what independent data from federal agencies shows.

“It’s the US EPA, it’s the Ohio EPA, we’re working together with all of them, and that data is showing that we’ve reached our clean-up goals for the water and the soil and the air,” Hunsicker said.

But for some, like the Conard’s, the damage has been done. The train tracks run right through their backyard.

“We’re not being validated, we’re being gaslit,” Jessica Conard said. “When you can see and smell chemicals and you can experience them in your body and someone tells you there are no chemicals, you’re not sick ... that is enough to drive someone mad.”

Back at the derailment site, there is still a lot of work to be done until NS can pack up.

“We want to restore the areas so they’re back to a pre-existing condition,” Hunsicker said. “We want to get the ditches to flow, the water back in the streams, after we’ve confirmed the water that flows across this area is good.”

Norfolk Southern did not answer our question about when they’ll be done here with their remediation. They just said they’ll be in East Palestine as long as it takes.

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