Outgoing EPA administrator reflects on East Palestine response

EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore speaks to East Palestine Council during Monday’s meeting. Shore, who led the response and response efforts in the village in the wake of the 2023 train derailment, reported that those operations are “substantially complete” as she prepares to leave her presidential-appointed position. (Photo by Stephanie Elverd)
EAST PALESTINE — Days away from the end of her tenure at the head of the U.S. Region 5 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Debra Shore expressed a sense of accomplishment for progress made in the two years since the 2023 derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train and subsequent chemical release during Monday’s village council meeting
“It’s worth pausing to consider the truly staggering scale of this emergency response and clean-up and to note how much has been accomplished in this short period of time using all our resources at our disposal,” Shore said. “It’s also worth pausing to thank all of you here in East Palestine and in Columbiana County for the crucial roles that you have played in getting to this point.”
Shore, a political appointee, is leaving her position on Jan. 20, part of the presidential transition. President-elect Donald Trump will select her replacement.
“This will be my last visit to East Palestine as EPA Regional Administrator and I regret that I will not be here with you in a few weeks as the final steps of the clean-up continue but I am certain that EPA will continue to stand by the commitments that President Biden and [EPA Federal] Administrator [Michael] Regan have made to the people of East Palestine — to stay here as long as it takes, to get everything done and be sure that no one is left behind,” Shore said.
While Shore’s role at the EPA is ending, others who have played major roles in the agency’s response will remain. They include lead EPA Incident Commander Ralph Dollhopf and On-site Response Coordinator Mark Durno as well as Michelle Kerr — a technical advisor for the EPA who has been in the village since the derailment — who Shore announced as the recently named project manager.
“We selected a project manager who will oversee long-term work including health and environmental monitoring as described in the proposed consent decree between the U.S. government and Norfolk Southern,” Shore said, referencing the $310 settlement between the railroad and the EPA. “Michelle Kerr has been working as an EPA technical advisor on this response from the beginning and will assume that role. As I leave East Palestine, I now leave you in good hands.”
The soon-to-be former administrator said that settlement “holds Norfolk Southern accountable for the damage to the environment and natural resources caused by the derailment.”
Shore reflected on her time in East Palestine and what she called “the most consequential environmental response in U.S. History.”
“I came here nearly two years ago under very different and very difficult circumstances. I don’t need to remind you that on Feb. 3, 2023 we were in the midst of a rapidly evolving emergency response to the Norfolk Southern train derailment,” she said. “The amount of environmental damage made it clear that responding organizations needed to use all their resources and authorities to protect public health and the environment and to clean-up the derailment site and waterways so the people of East Palestine and neighboring areas could be made whole again.”
Shore believes strides have been made in doing just that, telling council that cleanup operations are “substantially complete”.
“Nearly 220,000 tons of contaminated soil has been moved and disposed of properly. Nearly 70 million gallons of contaminated water, precipitation and runoff from the derailment site has been collected and managed,” she said. “The effort to determine that all of the contamination has been removed as kind of a double check to ensure that our clean-up efforts have been successful, that confirmation sampling has been completed.”
Creek remediation, according to Shore, has also been completed and restoring of properties to Post-derailment conditions is nearing completion.
“Assessment and cleanup of contaminated sediment in Sulphur and Leslie Runs has been completed and when spring weather returns, EPA will require that NS complete additional assessment and complete any further cleanup that may be indicated,” she added. “Restoration of the derailment site and in its support areas is in its final stages. We have been committed to public information and community engagement through the response.”
While much has been accomplished, Shore stopped short of putting a bow on the response. She doesn’t expect to, as the EPA presence is ongoing. Still, she expects a steady sense of normalcy to return to the village in the coming months.
“Some work remains to be done. There will still be a few additional weeks of restoration work, some excavation work in the east end and of course months and years of long-term monitoring of the streams and wells to ensure that public health is protected,” Shore said. “By summer we will be able to do what we always wanted to do, encourage the people of East Palestine to live their lives without worrying about whether their air, water or soil still poses a threat.”
Shore ended her official time in East Palestine by thanking the community for working with the EPA and not letting the derailment define them as a town.
“Thank you to East Palestine for the courage, resilience and determination to overcome challenges over the last two years,” she said. “You have inspired me and so many of our colleagues at EPA. I know you will always be East Palestine Strong.”
East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway, who has worked closely with Shore during the village’s recovery and environmental remediation, returned the gratitude.
On behalf of the Village of East Palestine we appreciate everything you have done,” he said. “You were here in the thick of it. You saw the good side of us and you saw the bad side of us, and we appreciate all the work you’ve done and we wish you well in your next adventure.”
selverd@mojonews.com