In reaction to a disastrous railway catastrophe that has had severe impacts on East Palestine, Ohio, and its surrounds, the Ohio Governor has asked the Biden administration to give federal disaster relief. But, the request has been denied.
The bad news that Ohio’s state government was ineligible for FEMA disaster aid reached them on Thursday. Although this specific incidence does meet the definition of a conventional natural disaster, much like hurricanes or tornadoes, a Dewine spokeswoman explained to Fox News Digital that it is still ineligible for funding under their existing standards.
TRENDING: NEW Trump Diamond Bills Will Drive Liberals Crazy!
“The DeWine Administration has been in daily contact with FEMA to discuss the need for federal support, however FEMA continues to tell Governor DeWine that Ohio is not eligible for assistance at this time,” In a prior statement, DeWine’s office made a statement. “Governor DeWine will continue working with FEMA to determine what assistance can be provided.”
FEMA keeps in touch with DeWine’s office despite the governor’s request for help but does not provide any genuine disaster aid.
“FEMA is in constant contact with the emergency operations center in East Palestine and with the Ohio Emergency Management Agency. We are closely coordinating with EPA, HHS, and the CDC, who are helping to test water and air quality, and to conduct public health assessments,” According to Jeremy Edwards, a FEMA official, Fox News Digital.
There have been many theories as to why the Biden administration hasn’t helped Ohioans, but Rogan O’Handley thinks he has found the answer.
“Just in case you were wondering why Biden and Buttigieg are ignoring the toxic chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio,” O’Handley remarked. “Columbiana County voted 71.7% for Trump in 2020.”
While he recognized the need for a new infrastructure strategy, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg he vehemently blasted the Trump administration for its part in a regrettable train disaster. He said that more could have been done to stop such an incident from occurring with tremendous boldness and conviction.
“We’re constrained by law on some areas of rail regulation (like the braking rule withdrawn by the Trump administration in 2018 because of a law passed by Congress in 2015), but we are using the powers we do have to keep people safe,” he added.
“And of course, I’m always ready to work with Congress on furthering (or in some cases, restoring) our capacity to address rail safety issues.”
Questions have been raised over whether government organizations and independent safety corporations are seeking to hide facts regarding the seriousness of the Ohio crisis in light of the rising public concern around it.
The Environmental Protection Agency released a report on their most recent discoveries of chemical substances in East Palestine, Ohio, a place that had experienced an ecological catastrophe as a result of a railroad wreck, on Tuesday. These recent findings provide important information on how we might safeguard against future damage as this tragedy continues to have a negative impact on both local people and animals.
“There is a plume [of chemicals] moving down the Ohio River,” The director of Ohio’s Environmental Protection Agency’s water management division, Ms. Tiffani Kavalec, stressed her dedication to providing all Ohioans with clean and accessible resources. “It’s near Huntington, West Virginia, right now.”
According to Kavalec’s study, the plume is mostly made up of components necessary for its formation. “fire combustion chemicals.” There might be more than one. “volatile organic compounds” in the Ohio River but are “very diluted,” she added.
On Monday, WLWT reported that the Ohio River has had indications of dangerous substances found in it. With more than 5 million people depending on its supply, this canal is a significant source of drinking water for six states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. States located hundreds of kilometers away are now carefully examining their own supplies to verify that they are protected against these poisons.
The storyline that was previously believed has been contested by recent revelations from Wednesday, starting a whole new conversation.
“No contaminants were found in the Ohio River after Greater Cincinnati Water Works tested it for multiple hazardous chemicals,” WXIX reported.
“According to the Water Quality of Richard Miller Treatment Plant Intake data, all four chemicals were not detected in the Ohio River, including butyl acrylate and vinyl chloride,” the report added.
The choice of a private contractor to assess the quality of the water, soil, and air at the site of Norfolk Southern’s train crash has been questioned by investigative journalist Kanekoa, raising concerns about the possible effects such choices may have on public health.
“The Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health (CTEH), a private contractor hired by Norfolk Southern to test water, soil, and air quality in East Palestine, Ohio, has a history of minimizing the effects of environmental disasters to satisfy its corporate employers, according to critics,” Kanekoa found.
After the Deepwater Horizon oil leak in 2010, CTEH’s work for BP garnered criticism, including “conflicts of interest” from Democrats in Congress and charges of the “fox guarding the chicken coop” from the New York Times.
In its study, the Democratic Party expressed grave worries about the company’s conduct, which prompted further research. “inaccurate monitoring procedures during an air quality survey following the 2008 coal ash spill in Tennessee, bad sampling techniques used to evaluate soil contamination at a 2005 refinery spill in Louisiana, and a controversial analysis of toxic drywall in 2006.”
Norfolk Southern was able to effectively influence Washington’s railway safety officials before the East Palestine train crash and chemical tragedy occurred by using a “regulatory capture” tactic. Their lobbying efforts resulted in the blocking of crucial precautionary measures that may have prevented this sad occurrence, demonstrating the strength of corporate interests when they are uncontrolled.
Norfolk Southern is owned by a number of major investment firms, including BlackRock, Vanguard, and JP Morgan Chase. In 2017, the rail company successfully lobbied the U.S. government to do away with mandatory safety regulations, such as pneumatic brakes and minimum staffing requirements. The rail company had recently lobbied the government to maintain these lax safety regulations.
“Before this weekend’s fiery Norfolk Southern train derailment prompted emergency evacuations in Ohio, the company helped kill a federal safety rule aimed at upgrading the rail industry’s Civil War-era braking systems,” according to records that The Lever examined. The report claims that the train was not subject to regulation as a “high-hazard flammable train.”
Although cutting thousands of employees and understaffing by thousands more, Norfolk Southern continued to shower millions of dollars on its executives and spend further billions on stock buybacks. They vehemently rejected a shareholder plan that would have required executive responsibility for safety regulations, which made issues worse. “assess, review, and mitigate risks of hazardous material transportation.”
According to the EPA’s letter, the derailment of the Norfolk Southern train resulted in the discharge of an alarming amount of toxic substances into the environment. This helps to highlight how damaging these mishaps may be to our environment and rivers.
“Cars containing vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether are known to have been and continue to be released to the air, surface soils, and surface waters,” the letter said.
The aforementioned compounds’ fundamental characteristics are listed below.
- Vinyl chloride: a colorless gas that is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics and is highly flammable and decomposes to make toxic fumes. According to the National Library of Medicine, it is also carcinogenic and can cause other health issues.
- Butyl acrylate: a clear liquid that is used for making paints, sealants and adhesives. It is flammable and can cause skin, eye and respiratory irritation.
- Ethylhexyl acrylate: a colorless liquid used to make paints and plastics. It can cause skin and respiratory irritation and, under moderate heat, can produce hazardous vapor.
- Ethylene glycol monobutyl: a colorless liquid used as a solvent for paint and inks, as well as some dry cleaning solutions. It is classed as acutely toxic, able to cause serious or permanent injury, and highly flammable. Vapors can irritate the eyes and nose, and ingestion can cause headaches and vomiting.
There are issues with air quality problems in addition to worries about water quality. According to the New Jersey EPA, vinyl chloride “is a CARCINOGEN in humans. There may be no safe level of exposure to a carcinogen, so all contact should be reduced to the lowest possible level.”
The EPA claims in its most recent dispatch that “as of February 14, EPA has assisted with the screening of 396 homes under a voluntary screening program offered to residents, and no detections of vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride were identified. 65 additional homes are scheduled for today. We are continuing to conduct 24/7 air-monitoring to ensure the health and safety of residents.”
Residents in the area have raised worry about the alarming amount of fish, animals, and cattle that have died since the evacuation in their neighborhood. Many are nonetheless worried about the crisis’ effects on the environment even if officials tell them that safety precautions are being taken.
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, an estimated 3,500 tiny fish have died throughout 7.5 miles of streams to far, illustrating the chemical spill’s destructive effects.
Residents of North Lima have personally seen the devastating effects of a recent chemical burn. Locals have reported its catastrophic impact on their neighborhood, including one sorrowful instance when five chickens and a rooster perished unexpectedly.
“Don’t tell me it’s safe. Something is going on if the fish are floating in the creek,” Ohio native Cathey Reese, who lives in Negley, recently told her tale to Pittsburgh’s NBC station WPXI.
The 39-year-old Boardman wedding photographer Jenna Giannios told NBC News that she had been suffering with a persistent cough for over two weeks. Apart from vomiting, other symptoms of the unidentified illness afflicting them included itchy eyes, skin irritation, and skin rash.
“They only evacuated only 1 mile from that space, and that’s just insane to me,” When speaking, she often coughed. “I’m concerned with the long-term heath impact. It’s just a mess.”
Ohio farmers worry that the long-term impacts of a major ecological catastrophe might be harmful to their livelihood. Several area lawyers are puzzled by Norfolk Southern’s $1000 “inconvenience” costs and wonder whether this is an effort by the company to limit its obligations in settling damages.
Strong attempts to shield significant business organizations from the implications of COVID-19 have been a defining feature of Joe Biden’s presidency. But, renowned environmentalists have been notably quiet on Ohio’s escalating ecological disaster, which is best shown by the large number of dead fish that have been found washed up on riverbanks and coasts around the state. The fight for sustainability is more crucial than ever; it seems that only forceful action will put an end to Ohio’s death jingles.
