new: OH officials appear to have relied solely on prelim H20 sampling conducted by a rail contractor to initially declare water in East P. safe
— Chris D'Angelo (@c_m_dangelo) February 18, 2023
Ind. experts called sampling "sloppy" & "amateur"—initial batch not collected in accordance w/ EPA standardshttps://t.co/ZbpzrlnmZY
It's difficult to wrap my head around how we do things in this country when it comes to potential corporate malfeasance: we take their word for things. If the rail company is responsible for a chemical disaster, why would we take their word for whether the water and soil are ok? If the rail company advocates for a release of toxic chemicals to be burnt in the first place (which cleared the tracks for more trains to come through) certain governors will just accept that advice. Even though there are hundreds of train derailments every year, and they many times do involve chemical spills and even explosions, we still listen to lobbyists on behalf of those companies who want less, not more regulation.
And certain presidential administrations have even agreed with them.
I've noticed that this particular accident and subsequent health concerns has become fodder for the right wing to demonstrate something about the Biden Administration. Whether it's when DeWine has finally requested federal assistance or whether FEMA even really is the agency that aid would come from seem like a weird muddying to me of who is responsible for what and creates a space for conspiracy theory and resentment to grow.
When the rail company is just living in 1899 with the robber barons just enjoying cover from the partisans and trying to get people to sign away their future settlement rights for a pittance. It's what they've come to expect. They have a history.
Now, Trump says he's going to make an appearance in East Palestine to basically be as useful as a cottage cheese dildo while additionally fanning the flames of conspiracy and (white) resentment. And we wouldn't expect anything less.
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