North Baltimore Journal

BALTIMORE – On May 12, 2023, U.S. Congressman Kweisi Mfume (MD-07) released a letter he sent on Saturday, April 29, 2023, to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan urging the Administrator to reject Norfolk Southern Railway Corporation’s (“Norfolk Southern”) resurrected plan to treat wastewater from the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment in Baltimore and seeking a meeting with the Administrator to discuss it.

“It came to my attention, by way of another late Friday afternoon notification, that Norfolk Southern Railway Corporation has again decided to bring contaminated water from Ohio to Baltimore with the approval of the Environmental Protection Agency. I am adamantly opposed to that decision and stand firm against it,” said Congressman Mfume.

Congressman Mfume’s objection to the resurrected idea stems from Norfolk Southern’s inherent inability to ensure safe passage of contaminated water to and from Baltimore. The contaminants in question derive from a derailed Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio. Shortly after the East Palestine crash, Norfolk Southern had another train crash in Springfield, Ohio.

Additionally, Norfolk Southern made clear it was not bringing contaminated water to Maryland on March 28, 2023. Then thirty days later, the company does an aboutface. It is impossible to trust an individual or corporation when its deeds do not match its words. It begs for a lack of credibility.

Congressman Kweisi Mfume received notice of Norfolk Southern’s resurrected proposal from the EPA late in the afternoon on Friday, April 28, 2023 via a telephone call. Through due diligence, the attached letter from Norfolk Southern to the Maryland Department of the Environment was received, during the early evening hours of April 28, 2023. It details how Norfolk Southern intends to ship approximately 75,000 gallons a day of contaminated water by rail or truck to Baltimore. Congressman Mfume responded by letter to the EPA Administrator on Saturday, April 29, 2023, making his adamant opposition clear.

Full text of the letter Congressman Mfume sent to the EPA can be viewed here and below.

April 29, 2023

Michael S. ReganAdministratorEnvironmental Protection Agency1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20460

Re: Norfolk Southern’s Resurrected Contaminated Water Plan for Baltimore

Dear Administrator Regan:

It has come to my attention, by way of another late Friday afternoon notification, that Norfolk Southern Railway Corporation has again decided to bring contaminated water from Ohio to Baltimore with the approval of the Environmental Protection Agency. I am adamantly opposed to that decision and stand firm against it.

I urge the EPA to rescind its approval of the Norfolk Southern plan and welcome a call from you at your convenience to lay out more plainly my opposition to the resurrected idea. I would appreciate your immediate response to this matter.

Sincerely,

Original source can be found here.