Pennsylvania State administrators were questioned by lawmakers during a bi-partisan public hearing on the East Palestine train derailment.
Officials from state departments including the DEP and PEMA were questioned at the Community College of Beaver County Thursday afternoon on the state's response to the Norfolk Southern derailment that put hazardous chemicals into the environment.
PEMA Director Randy Padfield says they expressed concerns when Norfolk Southern said a release and controlled burn of the toxic chemical vinyl Chloride was the only option to avoid an explosion.
“At that point and time, we were told by Norfolk Southern that they are the experts, that they have over 200 years of experience on the scene in their personnel doing this and this is the only option,” said Padfield. “Personally, I’m not comfortable with that.”
Padfield says he thinks there would’ve been other options instead of the one that resulted in the large fire and plume of smoke.
“I’ve been to a lot of large, complex disasters, there are always other options, maybe that was the only option, but they failed to articulate their decision process of getting to that option,” added Padfield.
Padfield says because the disaster way fully in Ohio, they didn't have the power to make any final decisions.
The focus of Thursday’s hearing in Monaca was on the residents of Pennsylvania that have been affected.
About 12 citizens spoke at the public hearing, expressing frustration and anger over what they say is a lack of information and action take.
One of the speaker, Ashley Bennett, who is from the area, said she is concerned for her family.
“How can they say the soil is safe when no testing has been performed, how can they say our air quality is fine, when nobody was out monitoring our air quality?” questioned Bennett. First responders came and went covered in toxins taking toxic waste back into our home towns.
Residents also expressed frustration on a lack of communication from Norfolk Southern and government agencies that they say have yet to be answered.