EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (WKBN) – The EPA released its report to the White House detailing the response to date following the train derailment, explaining the status of air, soil, surface water, groundwater and drinking water sampling.

The report is part of an executive order “ensuring the people of East Palestine are protected now and in the future.”

Since the disaster, the EPA has collected more than 100 million air monitoring data points and more than 35,000 samples (air, water and soil) in and around the community. This data collection continues, and ongoing science-based reviews show that residents of East Palestine are not in danger from contaminated drinking water, soil, or air from the derailment, the report said.

There have been 165,000 tons of contaminated soil removed and 35 million gallons of wastewater have been shipped off-site.

Contaminated soil under the train tracks and nearby areas have been removed and site-wide confirmation sampling is underway to double-check that all contamination resulting from the derailment has been removed.

President Joe Biden issued the executive order for East Palestine on September 20, 2023. It directs the EPA to submit a report within 30 days on the cleanup efforts and on Norfolk Southern’s compliance with EPA’s February 21, 2023, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.

The agency will submit updated reports to the President every 60 days until all of the cleanup, assessment, and monitoring work required by the EPA is complete.