CSX Corp. has agreed to clean up the areas affected by the Feb. 16 derailment that destroyed a home, caused explosions, and forced the evacuation of an entire town.
The agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency means CSX has 21 days to put together a full plan of how to make things go back to normal, according to a press release from the EPA.
CSX has promised to conduct air and water monitoring, recover oil from Armstrong Creek and the Kanawha River, and to make locals aware of the possible health effects as a result of the derailment.
“The agreement between CSX and EPA provides a framework within which CSX can work, with oversight from EPA and West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), to ensure that oil contamination from the derailment in the Mount Carbon area continues to be safely contained and that long-lasting impacts are mitigated to protect human health and the environment,” EPA Regional Administrator Shawn Garvin said in the release.
The EPA and the WVDEP have worked closely to make sure the site of the derailment is cleaned up properly, officials said. People were able to get back to their homes six days after the evacuation. The roadway and railroad tracks where the derailment took place are now open, the release said.
