The photo above shows Governors Shapiro and DeWine shaking hands, also in the photo are PA Congressman Chris Deluzio, EPA Administrator Michael Regan, and East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway, among others at the press conference. (Curtis Walsh)
Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio news Director. Published February 21, 2023 3:01 P.M.

(East Palestine, Ohio) Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan held a press conference with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, as well as other local leaders such as PA 17th District Congressman Chris Deluzio Tuesday afternoon in East Palestine. County Commissioner Dan Camp was also in attendance. Regan began by announcing under EPA authority, Norfolk Southern is ordered to clean up all contamination in soil and water as a result of the derailment, and dispose of it properly. Failure to comply will result in the EPA immediately stepping in to do the work themselves, while charging Norfolk Southern three times the price. The EPA states Norfolk Southern has 48 hours to respond to their order to begin an immediate comprehensive work plan. Governor Mike DeWine added that Norfolk Southern will be forced to tear up the tracks and properly remove the soil underneath, which was left when the railroad was repaired and reopened extremely quickly following the derailment. PA Governor Josh Shapiro commented that Pennsylvania DEP has already begun conducting private air and water quality tests and will continue to do so. Local Municipalities are also conducting testing of public water. The test findings will be made public. Anybody in Pennsylvania that has concerns with their private well water is advised to call the DEP Southwest Regional Office at 412-442-4000. Shapiro added “Norfolk Southern’s corporate greed, incompetency, and lack of care for our residents, is absolutely unacceptable”. The Mayor of East Palestine, Trent Conaway, stated during the conference that he has faith that the leaders will not forget about East Palestine, and trusts they will continue to help for as long as they need. At this time, there have been no concerning air or water quality test results for Pennsylvania. Air and water testing will continue for the foreseeable future.

FILE – President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at the Knapp Center on the campus of Drake University, Jan. 30, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa. Republican presidential prospects are streaming into Iowa, the leadoff presidential caucus state. Notably absent from the lineup, at least for now, is former President Donald Trump who carried the state twice, by healthy margins, as the Republican presidential nominee in the 2016 and 2020 elections. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci, File)

URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) — After a slow start, Republican presidential prospects are streaming into Iowa, the leadoff presidential caucus state. Notably absent from the lineup, at least for now, is former President Donald Trump. Few of the White House hopefuls face the lofty expectations in Iowa that Trump does. He finished a competitive second to devout social conservative Ted Cruz in 2016. Trump went on to carry the state twice, by healthy margins, as the Republican presidential nominee in the 2016 and 2020 elections. Though the caucuses are nearly a year off, they remain the first event on the nomination calendar, and some Iowa GOP activists have taken notice of Trump’s absence.

FILE – California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks in Sacramento, Calif., Jan. 10, 2023. Democratic governors in 20 states are launching a network intended to strengthen abortion access in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court nixing a woman’s constitutional right to end a pregnancy. (AP Photo/José Luis Villegas, File)

Democratic governors in 20 states are launching a network intended to strengthen abortion access in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court nixing a woman’s constitutional right to end a pregnancy. The ruling shifted regulatory powers over the procedure to state governments. Organizers, led by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, described the Reproductive Freedom Alliance as a way for governors and their staffs to share best practices and affirm abortion rights for the approximately 170 million Americans who live in the consortium’s footprint. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in an interview that the court’s Dobbs decision that ended a national right to abortion put pressure on governors to act.

FILE – A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains, Feb. 6, 2023. West Virginia’s water utility says it’s taking precautionary steps following the derailment of a train hauling chemicals that later sent up a toxic plume in Ohio. The utility said in a statement on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2023 that it has enhanced its treatment processes even though there hasn’t been a change in raw water at its Ohio River intake. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, file)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wants the nation’s freight railroads to immediately act to improve safety while regulators try to strengthen safety rules in the wake of a fiery derailment in Ohio that forced evacuations when toxic chemicals were released and burned. Buttigieg announced the reforms Tuesday — two days after he warned Norfolk Southern to fulfill its promises to clean up the mess just outside East Palestine, Ohio, and help the town recover. The railroad reiterated its commitment to safety and aiding East Palestine but didn’t directly respond to Buttigieg’s criticism. The head of the EPA plans to return to the town Tuesday to talk about the next steps in the cleanup and efforts to keep people safe.

99.3 and 95.7 FM along with 1230 WBVP, 1460 WMBA and Beavercountyradio.com present the players of the game for February 20, 2023!

Your CCBC Players of the game are:

Beaver Falls: Jaren Brickner

OLSH: Dereon Greer

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