Why Shipping Ohio Derailment Waste is Dangerous

Marc Lame is a clinical professor emeritus in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. He teaches environmental management.

Lame claims the reason why Norfolk Southern Railway can ship hazardous waste from the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment across state lines is because of the Interstate Commerce Clause. This clause allows companies to ship waste to other states without the consent of the state. There are only so many certified hazardous waste facilities where that type of waste can be disposed of in the United States. Companies need to pick one, and they usually pick hazardous waste facilities nearby, though this is not always the case. It depends on what types of waste different facilities are able to take. It’s also an economic consideration for the company that must pay for it. The railroads need to find a facility that they feel is most affordable to them. The EPA has gotten more involved in the case of the East Palestine, Ohio derailment, which allows them to also dictate where the waste goes.
He says from a scientific point of view, it is important to immediately look at the certifications in place for facilities that accept hazardous waste to ensure they are being monitored and operating under their permit. If everything with these facilities is working properly, the facilities meet regulatory standards, and the hazardous waste safely makes it to the facility it is supposed to go to, then there should not be much real danger to communities in the short term. Issues could potentially arise however in the long term. The facilities may not leak now, but it can be hard to say what will happen to these facilities, the waste they hold, and the surrounding environment in the decades to come. Currently, it is difficult to say how sustainable these facilities will end up being in the long term. Lame encourages everyone to remember that science changes overtime. As such, the understanding of the impact this waste will have on surrounding communities could change with further research.

Lame states in order to keep the communities receiving hazardous waste safe, the first thing communities and states need to do is keep people informed on what is going on. In this case, because of the clause that allows interstate commerce to occur, this waste is seen as nothing more than a business transaction. Thus, states and communities are not informed when hazardous waste is brought into their community for disposal. People need to be kept aware on what is happening in their communities. Each state also needs to give its environmental agency the resources necessary to make sure hazardous waste facilities are operating correctly. If these facilities are not operating as they should, then serious problems could occur. As long as states cut budgets to their environmental agencies, it will be more difficult to ensure hazardous waste is being disposed of safely. States need to choose the health of humans and the environment over short term profits. It was the rollback of regulations which allowed the East Palestine, Ohio derailment to happen in the first place. Further deregulation and cuts to environmental agencies will only make things worse.

Interview Questions:

1. Why are hazardous soil and liquids from the East Palestine, Ohio derailment being sent to other communities like in Indiana?

2. How can communities and their environments be impacted by the introduction of these hazardous materials?

3. What needs to be done to ensure the safety of the communities where these hazardous materials are being shipped?