DEP Lowers Boom On NS
Train Crash Meeting In Emporium Next Week

Pennsylvania's top environmental official came to Emporium yesterday to lay the groundwork for next week's public meeting on the ramifications of the June 30 Norfolk Southern train derailment.

As we went to press, Pa. Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Kathleen McGinty was holding a news conference to reveal plans for what promises to be a farreaching public forum, set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Cameron County Courthouse.

McGinty also announced that DEP has ordered Norfolk Southern to clean up ground contamination and fully restore Sinnemahoning Portage Creek.

Additionally, she unveiled a plan whereby area residents and businesses will develop regional restoration projects to be funded by civil penalties levied against the railroad.

"This spill has had a terrible effect on the environment and a significant impact on the area's quality of life," McGinty said. "The nature and scope of this accident warrant a cleanup effort that is just as large in scale. Nothing less will do."

Sinnemahoning Portage Creek was devastated after the 31-car derailment spilled

42,000 gallons of sodium hydroxide (lye), wiping out fish and aquatic life for 7.5 miles. An unknown amount of the chemical also soaked into the ground.

DEP's order sets up l e g a l l y - b i n d i n g milestones to ensure Norfolk Southern restores the area. T h e company must:

 Continue t o maintain pH levels and

i n s p e c t

daily. As a t e m p o r a r y m e a s u r e , Norfolk Southern is applying a citric acid solution to neutralize the sodium hydroxide still leaching from the soil into the waters.

 Submit a report by Oct. 6 summarizing the sampling and analysis of soil and groundwater, then take further samples and report results by Oct. 20.

 Evaluate the spill's impact on the Driftwood Branch and Sinnemahoning Creek itself.

 Submit an expanded assessment by Nov. 15 detailing the scope of ground contamination and damage to waterways.

 Submit a schedule for eliminating discharges and seeps, restoring affected streams and cleaning up ground contamination.

Norfolk Southern could be subject to penalties of as much as $35,000 per day per violation, dating back to June 30. McGinty said DEP may also seek to reclaim damages to the state's natural resources under the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act.

"A number of residents report that the derailment has had a profound effect on their lives," McGinty said. "Wednesday's public meeting offers them the chance to join the stakeholder effort and pinpoint restoration needs."

Although pH levels have returned to normal, DEP cautions the public to avoid Sinnemahoning Portage Creek from the mouth of Big Fill Run to a point 1,000 feet downstream remains in effect.

Norfolk Southern, which has admitted that the train was traveling far above the posted speed limit, may also face civil litigation from parties alleging damage as a result of the spill.