Gov. Holcomb Gives Update on East Palestine Waste

Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 9:09 AM

Governor Eric J. Holcomb Friday issued the following statement related to an update on testing of the East Palestine hazardous waste directed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be transported to Indiana:

“Since yesterday (Thursday) when I directed the third-party testing of any material arriving from the East Palestine train spill, the EPA today (Friday) provided us a written commitment that any further material scheduled for shipment to Indiana from the East Palestine train spill site will undergo testing to confirm there are no harmful levels of dioxins before heading to Indiana. This is the right decision for the EPA to take this important step.

As for the materials that are already en route prior to the EPA announcement, our teams have been working with the third-party laboratory to expedite the testing of those truckloads which should bear detailed results sometime early next week. Samples are now scheduled to be taken early Saturday, March 4, with testing to begin that same day at the Pace Laboratory. The site operator is supportive of this testing and has been cooperative in helping us carry this out. We will share any results with the public in an effort to be open and transparent as soon as they become available.

I do want to commend the result of strong and constructive collaboration of elected leaders at the local, state, and federal level. The advice and communication across the board was critical in reaching this result to provide assurances to our communities. We will continue to provide further updates, as necessary,” Gov. Holcomb said.