As East Palestine Residents Worry About Contaminated Water, EPA Chief Says to ‘Trust the Government’ and Drink Up

The top official of the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Administrator Michael Regan touring the contaminated area created by last week’s catastrophic Norfolk Southern Railroad derailment, subsequent chemical spill, and fire had a message for Ohioans that, in light of FEMA’s recent refusal to assist them, has raised many eyebrows.

According to The Associated Press, Regan walked along a creek described as reeking of chemicals and spoke to reporters attempting to convince the people of East Palestine that the water is fit to drink and the air is safe to breathe.

“I’m asking they trust the government. I know that’s hard. We know there’s a lack of trust,” Regan told reporters. “We’re testing for everything that was on that train.”

In the aftermath of the derailment, and the deliberate venting of vinyl chloride and other chemicals and their ignition in burn ditches for what authorities called a ‘controlled burn,’ citizens have reported headaches, eye irritation, and massive die-offs of thousands of fish, worms, livestock, and pets.

In local news video from WXIX-TV posted to Twitter by Citizen Free Press, Regan told concerned citizens Thursday “we’re trusting the science.”

EPA chief Michael Regan is finally on the ground in East Palestine, Ohio.

The message from Biden administration is “trust the science.” pic.twitter.com/jZMWV7IMcl

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) February 16, 2023

Senator JD Vance (R-OH) has sought to bring national attention to the crisis with a video directly from a local creek in East Palestine that shows massive contamination of the groundwater.

He tweeted, “Visited a local creek in East Palestine today. These waterways are still very polluted. It’s time for Norfolk Southern to finish the cleanup.”

WATCH: EAST PALESTINE RESIDENT GIVES TRAGIC INTERVIEW TO TUCKER CARLSON, PLEADS FOR HELP – ‘WHERE IS EVERYONE?’

Regan said Thursday that any locals who are afraid to return home should request testing from the government. People have been unnerved. They’ve been asked to leave their homes,” he told the AP, claiming that if he lived there, he would be willing to move his family back as long as the testing showed it to be safe.

Regan, in an appearance on MSNBC shared to Twitter, vowed to “hold Norfolk Souther accountable.”

I want the residents of East Palestine to know – we are going to hold Norfolk Southern accountable. And @EPA will exercise our oversight and enforcement authority to be sure we’re getting the results this community deserves. pic.twitter.com/56VQYE6fKL

— Michael Regan, U.S. EPA (@EPAMichaelRegan) February 17, 2023

The Ohio Sierra Club responded with doubt: “You aren’t with the community. No one is answering their questions and they are living in fear. Who is supervising the clean up in their homes so that the residue doesn’t become airborne and in-hailed #DioxinKills“

The Ohio EPA told the press that the latest testing shows the five underground wells supplying the town with drinking water are uncontaminated.

However, with the contamination already reaching the Ohio River, there are significant concerns among the local population that the entire water table could be eventually compromised.

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