East Palestine, Ohio

A so-called “controlled burn” of the vinyl chloride sent a massive, toxic plume over six counties and two states causing thousands to report shortness of breath, nausea, headaches, rashes, and more. Over 43,000 animals died, including thousands of fish in oil slicked waterways. Since this time, chemical plumes have moved down our river and tributary waterways. Farms lost business for fear of contaminated crops. We were given no real direction on drinking the water and thousands of residents rely on wells. Small businesses are suffering from major losses. All the while, we were being told we were safe. People stood in line for hours waiting for hotel reimbursement checks while Alan Shaw, CEO of Norfolk Southern, made nearly 5 million dollars last year. As he rested safely in his bed, many developed rashes and other illnesses while trying to sleep the horrors of the day away. 

 

Things are not much better today. As Norfolk Southern dumps money into parks and playgrounds, thousands have had to relocate or continue to get sick. However, we fought and continue to fight for our region. 

 

After the derailment, our Executive Director led a multi-generational campaign with Beyond Petrochemicals to have vinyl chloride added to the potential chemical ban in 2024. The EPA met with our coalition and agreed to have it placed on the potential list. We will be using our Youth Climate and East Palestine campaigns to continue work with the EPA and coalition. This is just the beginning of our long-term political and policy activism surrounding East Palestine.