"Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Thursday that Pennsylvania will conduct independent water sampling following the train derailment just over the border from Beaver County in East Palestine, Ohio."

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DEP has been out there since Feb 4.

We should sue the company and the State of Ohio to cover the costs

If Delaware can get judgements against us for our water runoff damaging the bay, seems only fair for PA to sue Ohio for lighting a train of toxic chemicals on fire

Unlike Ohio, this is what a real Governor of his people does during this kind of environmental emergency. Take note dewine. Stop voting for republicans Ohio - that’s all that you get - bs.

I like Governor Shapiro, and feel confident in his ability to lead our citizens through this environmental disaster. Norfolk Southern, Ohio, and the EMS teams need to compensate our fellow Pennsylvanians who are suffering from this mess.

Good idea but I don’t think PA waterways will be greatly affected. The waterways south and west of the site are of greater concern. There’s a divide that runs through PA. Everything east of the divide ends up in the Chesapeake, everything west heads to the Mississippi then the Gulf.

There’s a triple divide point in Potter where the watershed of the Mississippi, Chesapeake and St Lawrence seaway meet.

What’s voting Republican have to do with the EPA being trash under literally every single administration?

Triple divide is a great movie about how fracking is trashing our state.

Republicans hamstring the EPA at every opportunity

As if that's not by design... Gut the IRS! Rescind the Department of Education! Cut medicare and social security! EPA can't tell me what to do!! What do all of these have in common?

I'm curious if the railroad company's findings will be different from what PA finds. If it does end up toxic; maybe we can send all of those GOP legislators move to East Palestine while they help clean it up.

So we don’t see environmental nonsense when democrats are in control? What’s going on the the EPA right now?

Their budget goes up basically every year and they really don’t respond to disasters well at all. Look at PFAS, Parkersburg, etc.

You need to work on your reading comprehension instead of making up things that nobody said

So you want to cut their budget so they can do more?

Not all of PA's water is contaminated, but they burned the chemicals sending them into the atmosphere. Winds blowing to the east carried it and can create problems with rain and air quality. I don't believe for a second that the air and water in western and other parts of PA will go unscathed by this. To what degree I'm not sure. I am really curious to see what the tests we run show.

EPA isn’t gutted their budget goes up constantly. They’re just worthless and wasteful.

Whatever degree of damage could ever be done to Pennsylvania by the plume of smoke and unburned chemical vapors: it's done. The fire has been out for 9 days, and these chemicals are volatile enough that anything which didn't burn has already either offgassed by now, OR is trapped in the soil or the ground water--both of which will affect Ohio, not PA.

There may be damages from airborne contaminants that ought to be compensated, but I highly doubt that airborne damage continues at this point.

You may be right, but the fact that residents in that town are saying that it hurts to breathe and people are feeling sick and they maintain the stance that the air and water "is fine" it makes me a little doubtful. Not to mention the smoke from the burn carried into PA because there was wind during the burn. And a few day ago wind apparently picked up PM(particulate matter) from the area and carried that into PA. This is something we have to be mindful of. Chemical spills and burns don't go away just like that. People have the right to question when it looks like they are being lied to.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cleveland19.com/2023/02/15/while-people-slept-early-morning-winds-kicked-up-plume-near-east-palestine-train-derailment-site/%3foutputType=amp

Is he going to test the water for more places in PA? Like in Pittsburgh and beyond?

> The waterways south and west of the site are of greater concern. There’s a divide that runs through PA. Everything east of the divide ends up in the Chesapeake, everything west heads to the Mississippi then the Gulf

Are you talking about the river basin divide? Because what I am worried about is chemicals falling down as acide rain and sweeping into the water table...

the only thing worthless and wasteful here are your replies.

people are educating you and you are putting your head into the sand..

I can’t find the article but Michael Mann PSU climate scientist said that wasn’t a significant concern. Burning the chemical turned into various chemicals that dissipate more quickly in the air.

I am taking the word of this Pitt scientist:

>“The outdoor air is a little less problematic because vinyl chloride gets dispersed very quickly and broken down by the sunlight, within a few days, it’s a similar situation in the soil or open body of water. However, one of the things I always emphasize if it goes into the ground water and transported to homes and private wells, it is highly volatile, so it can suffuse into air within those closed spaces,” she said. “It comes out of the water, into the air and that’s really the major route of toxicity for the liver. It comes through the air.”

https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/pitt-scientist-with-experience-studying-vinyl-chloride-shares-concerns-following-train-derailment/QZ5YYEYQD5CYPIPZFT2DQV4V4Q/

She's not talking about acid rain. She's talking about vinyl chloride getting into the ground water. The threat of acid rain is gone.

https://innotechtoday.com/chemicals-from-ohio-train-derailment-spark-concerns-of-acid-rain/

>Acid rain could have formed after the controlled release and burn of chemicals on Feb. 6,” Kevin Crist, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and the director of the Air Quality Center at Ohio University, said. “If it did form and fall, it would have most likely occurred downwind of East Palestine.

>“There would maybe be localized problems, but once that plume is gone, it’s gone. Unless it’s sticking to a residue.”

And the expert you cite is saying the same thing. These chemicals are short lived in the atmosphere.

I assure you the EPA is worthless.

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