Blog

By Jim Highland

The East Palestine community, on the Ohio/Pennsylvania border, continues to fight for its health, their homes and their community, but they need our help. Many cannot live in their homes anymore and have moved away for the time being, some as far as Cranberry, PA, as they try to advance their demands for Norfolk Southern and the Ohio government. They have formed an organization: Unity Council. We are listing their demands and giving a link to their website. You can also email or call them to ask to receive their newsletter. As of our last contact with an organizer from East Palestine earlier in July, Norfolk Southern has promised 25 million for a park in East Palestine, but nothing to individuals who have been forced from their homes or suffer from immediate adverse health conditions, such as headaches and nosebleeds, nor for long term care for other adverse health conditions. EPA officials informally admitted to residents that they did not use the right measuring devices when they told residents it was safe to return to their homes, but the officials won’t say this formally.

This could have happened anywhere a Norfolk Southern train goes, and train derailments continue, as recently as a CSX train derailment on tracks operated by Norfolk Southern, on Monday, July 17^th 2023 in Whitemarsh, PA (Eastern PA, near Philadelphia), and a Norfolk Southern train derailment outside of New Castle, PA (Western PA, North of Pittsburgh). One of the cars involved in the July 17^th derailment contains a toxic degreaser, tetrachloroethylene, which is a probable carcinogen linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as birth defects, and other conditions. (https://whyy.org/articles/whitemarsh-township-freight-train-derailment-montgomery-county/)

Please read over their demands, and see if you want to get involved to help them, and/or if your group wants to get involved.  Again, if there are train tracks in your area, the next derailment could be in your backyard.  Now is the time to get involved.

Community Demands

1. Governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, must immediately declare a disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, as well as seek full support of the Federal Government.

2. Relocation for anyone who feels unsafe in their home, coordinated by the Federal Government, and funded by Norfolk Southern.

3. The ability for affected resident(s) to hire independent scientists to complete air, water, soil and/or any other relevant environmental testing, funded by Norfolk Southern.

4. The ability for affected resident(s) to seek independent medical testing, monitoring and/or treatment, funded by Norfolk Southern.

5. Norfolk Southern must start to treat all affected resident (s) equally and supply resident(s) with proper filtration devices.

6. Norfolk Southern must dispose of any and all toxic waste, created by the train derailment and/or chemical release, safely and far away from the communities of affected resident(s)

Disclaimers Norfolk Southern would be required to pay all costs directly, to avoid undue financial strain and/or tax burden on resident(s) Adhering to these demands does not protect Norfolk Southern from additional litigation filed by past, current or future affected resident(s)

*The terms affected region(s) and/or resident(s) must be used until proper data is shared publicly. An appropriate affected radius cannot be determined without a detailed map on where the plume traveled, what water was/is affected, wind patterns, etc.

**Norfolk Southern must allow independent outside counsel to determine fair market value of homes, land, property, belongings, etc.

Please see the Unity Council website for more information and how to get in touch with the people fighting for their community, their health and their lives.