DeWine on company behind Ohio chemical spill: We will ‘hold their feet to the fire’

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday said the company whose train derailed in eastern Ohio and sent up a plume of toxic chemicals needs to stick around to deal with the aftermath of the disaster.

“They are responsible for this. They are responsible for a very serious train wreck that occurred with some very toxic material,” DeWine said on CNN’s “This Morning.” “So we’re going to hold their feet to the fire, we’re going to make sure they pay for everything as we move forward.”

The train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3 was operated by Norfolk Southern, a rail corporation based in Atlanta. Hazardous chemicals — including vinyl chloride, a toxic flammable gas — were released after the crash, causing a massive fire to break out and smoke to billow over the town.

Residents in the area, including from across the Pennsylvania border just a quarter-mile away, were forced to evacuate from their homes. As fear grew of a possible explosion, crews at the crash site then facilitated a controlled release of the toxic chemicals, releasing them into the air and burning them. The excessive amounts of smoke, fire and toxic chemicals in the air have since buoyed residents’ concerns about their health and when it’s safe to return home.

DeWine said Wednesday “the company should pay for everything.” He added that he talked to the company’s CEO on Tuesday, who assured him Norfolk would stay in the area until cleanup efforts are dealt with. The company has said publicly, too, that it will continue to assist with cleanup and fund remediation.

“I said, ‘there is concern with some people in East Palestine that you are going to leave before you get the cleanup done, you are going to leave before the problems are dealt with,’” DeWine said. “He pledged to me, ‘we’re gonna stay.’ We’re going to hold them to what they said. We are going to hold them accountable.”

When asked for comment on DeWine's statements about the company, a Norfolk Southern spokesperson referred POLITICO to a company press release from Tuesday where President and CEO Alan Shaw announced a new $1 million charitable fund as one component of its planned support of East Palestine.

"We are committed to East Palestine today and in the future," Shaw said. "We will be judged by our actions. We are cleaning up the site in an environmentally responsible way, reimbursing residents affected by the derailment, and working with members of the community to identify what is needed to help East Palestine recover and thrive."

DeWine had said last week it was safe for residents to return to their homes, as air quality testing has come back clean. But officials are advising residents who do return home to use bottled water, as the release of the chemicals affected local waterways — even killing about 3,500 fish.

The Republican governor said Wednesday that the “air has remained good” in the area, and a test of water in the village from late Tuesday also came back fine. The next water test results are expected later Wednesday, he said, which will be made available to the public.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan said Wednesday the department feels confident in the air quality levels in the area — as EPA has "been on the ground since day one" — and that it will support the state in their water quality monitoring efforts, as thousands of fish have died and people have reporting instances of eye burning. The EPA also plans to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for the derailment, Regan added.

“We understand some of the anxiety of the community, but we are with the community,” the EPA administrator said. “We're going to hold this company accountable, and we're going to be here until this problem is cleaned up.”

Mia McCarthy contributed to this report.