U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Progressives, Conservatives Not Happy with EPA’s New Rule on Vehicle Emissions

March 22, 2024 The Center Square

President Biden driving and electric vehicle

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday it is finalizing more protective emissions standards that it called the “strongest ever” for light-duty and medium-duty vehicles that it claims will reduce air pollution and be phased in from 2027 through 2032.

In a news release, the EPA claimed the standards would result in a reduction of 7 billion tons of carbon emissions and have a net benefit of $100 billion in terms of public health benefits as well as reduced fuel costs and maintenance and repair costs for drivers.

Commentary: The Nonsensical ‘Holy Climate Panacea’ Triad of More Wind, Solar, and Electric Cars is Maddening

May 31, 2023 RealClearWire

This list could be closer to 50 but let’s just stick to a handful of them. I literally live in this business every day, and I’m just so confused.

Ohio Governor DeWine Visits East Palestine to Receive Remediation Updates After Train Derailment

March 18, 2023March 17, 2023 Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine visited East Palestine, Ohio to receive remediation updates on Friday, exactly six weeks since a Norfolk Southern train derailed wreaking havoc on the environment and negatively impacting the health of residents.

Although soil is being removed in the area more swiftly than before, according to DeWine, “it’s never fast enough.” Despite the fact that 1,620 tons of earth were removed last week as opposed to 910 tons the week before, there is still a substantial amount.

Norfolk Southern CEO Attempts to Reassure Residents of East Palestine at Media Roundtable

March 18, 2023March 17, 2023 Hannah Poling

Alan Shaw, CEO of Norfolk Southern, drank a glass of East Palestine, Ohio, tap water in front of a group of reporters at a media round-table on Thursday while promising to clear the scene of a horrific train derailment and contribute to rebuilding the community.

According to Shaw, he is sorry for what happened and wants to make it right.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Orders States Not to Block Waste from East Palestine Derailment

March 18, 2023March 17, 2023 Hannah Poling

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday ordered states to stop preventing the transportation of contaminated debris from an Ohio train disaster that resulted in a fire from reaching hazardous waste storage facilities around the country.

This announcement follows Ohio Governor Mike DeWine calling on both the EPA and Norfolk Southern Railway to authorize more sites to take East Palestine’s contaminated soil due to some states with sites that are certified to take in hazardous materials not accepting it.

Ohio Department of Agriculture Conducts Discussion with Concerned Farmers

March 11, 2023March 10, 2023 Hannah Poling

Farmers from the East Palestine region met with officials from the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) on Thursday to discuss the potential effects of last month’s Norfolk Southern hazardous train crash on their crops and livestock.

The conference was held in order to address any worries local farmers might have regarding the forthcoming planting season, even though the ODA has stated it has no reason to believe crops cultivated in the area would be harmful.

Cincinnati City Leaders Want to Sell Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern

March 10, 2023March 9, 2023 Hannah Poling

City officials in Cincinnati are attempting to sell a city-owned rail line to Norfolk Southern, the same company that caused the toxic disaster in East Palestine last month.

City leaders announced a plan to sell the line, the Cincinnati Southern Railway that runs to Chattanooga Tennesee, at the end of last year to Norfolk Southern for $1.6 billion.

Norfolk Southern Agrees to Limited Relocation Plan in East Palestine, Activists Say It’s ‘Not Enough’

March 8, 2023March 7, 2023 Hannah Poling

Local activists in East Palestine, Ohio claimed on Monday that their activism has persuaded Norfolk Southern to accept a restricted relocation plan for some residents impacted by the train derailment last month. However, they added that they have no intention of abandoning their demand for justice for the thousands of residents in the area who are struggling as a result of the accident.

The company’s proposal to offer financial help to residents who live within a one-mile radius of the accident site “is not enough,” said River Valley Organizing (RVO), which last week produced a list of five requests for the people of East Palestine and the surrounding area.

East Palestine Fire Chief Silent When Environmental Protection Agency Claims He Ordered the Controlled Burn

February 21, 2023 Hannah Poling

A spokesperson with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 told The Ohio Star on Monday that the Fire Chief of the East Palestine Fire Department was the individual who ordered the controlled burn following the catastrophic train derailment on February 3rd. “EPA did not order the controlled burn. The local fire chief was the incident commander who made the decision in consultation with Norfolk Southern, local law enforcement, and response officials from Ohio,” the EPA spokesperson told The Star.

Ohio Governor DeWine to Visit East Palestine Tuesday

February 21, 2023February 21, 2023 Hannah Poling

A spokesperson for Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s office told The Ohio Star that DeWine is scheduled to visit East Palestine on Tuesday to provide an update on the cleanup following the catastrophic February 3rd train derailment that resulted in the controlled release and burn of noxious gasses creating an ecological disaster in the region.

Cincinnati Stops Using Ohio River Water Out of an ‘Abundance of Caution’ Following East Palestine Train Disaster

February 21, 2023February 20, 2023 Hannah Poling

As toxins from the East Palestine railway crash travel downstream, the city of Cincinnati stated on Friday that it will temporarily suspend sourcing water from the Ohio River.

However, according to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, testing has shown the plume of contaminates has “completely dissipated” by now and that the water is once again “safe to drink.”

Spokesperson: Ohio Governor DeWine Agreed with Decision to Execute East Palestine Controlled Burn but Did Not Give Order

February 17, 2023February 17, 2023 Hannah Poling

In an exclusive interview with The Ohio Star on Friday morning, Governor Mike DeWine’s spokesman Dan Tierney said he was unaware that legal authority was required to execute the February 6 controlled burn of vinyl chloride from five carriages of the Norfolk Southern train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio on February 3rd. He added that Norfolk Southern executed the controlled burn after consultation with representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and that DeWine agreed with the decision to execute a controlled burn – but was not the person who gave the order to execute the controlled burn.

Questions Remain Unanswered About Who Authorized East Palestine Controlled Burn

February 16, 2023February 16, 2023 Hannah Poling

Twelve days following the catastrophic train derailment on February 3rd and the controlled release and burn of noxious gasses in East Palestine, Ohio questions still linger about the decisions that were made and who authorized the controlled burn.

A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spokesperson did not directly comment early Monday to The Ohio Star if an On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) was at the East Palestine derailment, or if such an officer may have recommended or authorized the controlled burn.

Questions Remain Unanswered About Who Authorized East Palestine Controlled Burn

February 15, 2023 Hannah Poling

Ohio State Senate Passes Bill Expanding Drilling on State Land

December 9, 2022December 9, 2022 Hannah Poling

Within 24 hours of presenting the idea, Ohio Senate Republicans passed legislation on Wednesday that aims to expand the ability to drill for oil and gas on state-owned lands.

A 2011 state law gave state agencies the power, if they choose, to lease out state lands for oil and gas exploration and production. However, the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission has been slow to approve any projects. Former Governor John Kasich signed that bill into law but didn’t appoint anyone to the commission for years. Under Governor Mike DeWine, the commission has met more often but has not approved leases.

Ohio Senate Candidate J.D. Vance Gains Another Endorsement from Trump Cabinet Vets in EPA’s Wheeler

August 26, 2021August 26, 2021 Brian Ball

The U.S. Senate campaign of J.D. Vance has received a boost with the endorsement of the Trump administration’s head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the second endorsement from a Trump cabinet member in as many days.

In an news release sent exclusively to The Ohio Star, Fairfield, Ohio native and EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler has announced his endorsement of venture capitalist and Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance for the U.S. Senate seat incumbent Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) will vacate in early 2023.