EPA Immediately Pauses Toxic Waste Shipments From Ohio Train Derailment Site to Texas Transcript

Good evening and thank you for joining us. I’m Syan Rhodes. We are tracking the latest on that decision to pause a shipment of water used to put out the fire after the Ohio train derailment. Our Bill Barajas live downtown in [inaudible 00:00:11]. We’re able to speak with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo about that decision tonight. What’d she say?

Well, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo telling us that hold is a temporary one meant to give the Environmental Protection Agency just enough time to look over and approve how that toxic water is being handled and disposed of. Remember, about half a million gallons of that water is already here in Harris County.

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The Environmental Protection Agency hit the pause button on Texas Molecular and the work being done at their 11 acre Deer Park facility, which includes our decision to accept about 2 million gallons of toxic water from the Ohio train derailment.

We’re in very close touch with the EPA and the Department of Transportation. I think they’re being very responsive to the concerns in our community, and that’s heartening. It’s heartening for them to pause things while they come up with the next steps.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo telling us it was the Ohio EPA, the state agency that was initially managing the situation.

They weren’t very much communicating with the rest of us. It was clear that nobody up and down, whether it be the federal government, whether it be us, had visibility into the whole situation.

That clarity is why various local and state leaders got involved. News of the pause initially coming via Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s Twitter. The tweet said in part, “Congresswoman Jackson Lee has worked intensely with the EPA and EPA administrator for the last few days to protect communities from toxic waste disposal.” Hidalgo telling KPRC the EPA’s decision on how the proceed will come within a couple of days.

Within a few days, they’re going to tell us what exactly is in that water, what the recommendation is for how it’s going to be transported, and then from there, the Department of Transportation, if it does in fact end up coming to Harris County after all, or to continue coming to Harris County, they will make sure that it’s done in the safest ways possible.

Hidalgo says her team has not yet spoken to Texas Molecular about the pause. They did, however, request rather a list of chemicals that were being transported here from Ohio from the company. They never got that list as of tonight. We reached out to Texas Molecular, also did not hear back from them as of tonight. We’re live in downtown. Bill Barajas, KPRC 2 News.