Holcomb: Third party to test toxic waste from Ohio trail derailment
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Thursday his administration contracted with a third-party provider to conduct testing of the toxic waste that is being delivered to a landfill near Putnam County.
Pace Labs is the third-party provider that will test the hazardous materials being shipped from the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment to a Indiana landfill, according to a release.
Holcomb released this statement:
“Effective immediately, I have directed our administration to contract with a nationally recognized
laboratory to begin rigorous 3rd party testing for dangerous levels of dioxins on the material being transported to the Roachdale facility from the East Palestine train spill.“As I indicated in an earlier statement, it was extremely disappointing to learn through a press conference held on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, confirming that the EPA had chosen Indiana as a location to deposit and remediate the waste from East Palestine, Ohio. This was made after our administration directly conveyed that the materials should go to the nearest facilities, not moved from the far eastern side of Ohio to the far western side of Indiana. As you can expect, I expressed as much to the EPA administrator when we spoke on the phone Tuesday, Feb. 28.
“All of us can agree that we should do everything within our control to provide assurance to our communities. This testing is the next necessary step. Since making this decision, we have informed the EPA and the site operator urging them to coordinate closely with this 3rd party laboratory to carry out this important testing. Sampling is scheduled to begin tomorrow, Friday, March 3,”
Gov. Eric Holcomb