Erin Brockovich: I’ve never seen anything like the Ohio train derailment
Consumer advocate Erin Brockovich on the devastating chemical release in East Palestine, Ohio
Consumer advocate Erin Brockovich said she "has never seen anything" like the devastating Ohio train derailment that resulted in the release of toxic chemicals into the city of East Palestine.
Brockovich joined "America's Newsroom" Thursday to discuss the devastation and her concern for the community.
"I don't think I've ever seen anything like this in the 30 years that I've done this. The lack of information, the lack of transparency, the confusion, not actually seeing any data sets. What are you looking for? What are you not looking for?"
OHIO TRAIN DERAILMENT: OFFICIALS INSIST EAST PALESTINE IS SAFE BUT RESIDENTS AREN'T BUYING IT
Voicing their concerns at a town hall on Wednesday night, Ohio residents impacted by this month's toxic train derailment asked where Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was.
"Where's Pete Buttigieg? Where's he at?" one man asked Mayor Trent Conaway.
"I don't know. Your guess is as good as me," the mayor replied.
He told attendees that Tuesday was the first time he had "heard anything from the White House."
"I have never seen anything like this in my entire career where there is no information almost a shutdown. And it is frustrating. It's wrong. And I really am concerned about that community and the answers they're not getting. And if we don't give it to them, they're never going to be able to protect their health and welfare," said Brockovich.
Brockovich said she would like for the state EPA to produce and put up test results, so the public knows exactly which chemicals are in the air and water.
"We have yet to see that. So, again, this continues to be an unfolding story full of nothing but contradictions. And I think that's horrible to do that to these people who don't know the outcome of their health and safety."
In a Wednesday letter to Buttigieg, Republican Sens. Marco Rubio and J.D. Vance wrote to request information from his department regarding oversight of the freight train system and other concerns. The senators gave the secretary 30 days to respond.
Buttigieg had tweeted on Tuesday that the department was "constrained by law on some areas of rail regulation (like the braking rule withdrawn by the Trump administration in 2018 because of a law passed by Congress in 2015), but we are using the powers we do have to keep people safe."
While officials have said testing has so far shown that local air is safe to breathe following the Feb. 3 train derailment and controlled release and burn of vinyl chloride, the community continued to worry about safety. Water testing is ongoing, but the state's EPA said five wells that supply the village's drinking water are free from contaminants.
Norfolk Southern did not attend the meeting, citing safety concerns for its staff's safety.
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Brockovich called on state officials to release test results on drinking water for everyone to analyze.
"This continues to be an unfolding story full of nothing but contradictions and that's horrible to do that to these people who don't know the outcome of their health and safety," she told Bill Hemmer.
Fox News' Julia Musto contributed to this report.
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