The two separate chemical spills in Ohio and Pennsylvania signal a need for guard rails in America’s infrastructure. Overheated wheel bearings caused the Ohio train derailment and spill into Little Sugar Creek. In Pennsylvania, a plant's pipe ruptured, leading to a chemical spill into the Delaware River. What are the steps to ensure America's safety from toxic waste spills from here?
The answer is likely; no steps will be taken.
In PA, permitted chemical dumping has occurred for years - in 2017 - 21, there have been 7 reported companies that have dumped 1,000+ pounds of petroleum, chemicals, electric utilities, transportation equipment, and fabricated metals into the Delaware River. The companies with the most “releases” are PBF Energy and Monroe Energy LLC, which have put 1,000,000+ pounds of petroleum into the water supply. It is important to note that these are voluntary numbers provided by companies to the EPA - numbers are reviewed by the Toxic Release Inventory (an arm of the EPA).
The TRI released an analysis (provided below) referencing Pennsylvania twice on page 133 for “Total Disposal or Other Releases in the 10 Most Populous MSAs, 2021”.
As for Ohio, it was one of the top 3 states with the most facilities reporting to the TRI, along with Texas and California. These 3 states accounted for 20% of total facilities reported in 2021. According to the full TRI analysis on page 134, Ohio ranks fourth for “most TRI chemical releases for 2021”, additionally reporting Ohio to have 1,500 pounds of “releases” per square mile. The events so far in 2023 likely worsen the amount of “releases” but only contributes to the already steady decline in natural health.
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