CLARKSBURG, W.Va (WDTV) - The Ohio train derailment has been a developing story for the past several weeks.
On Thursday, Senator Shelley Moore Capito visited Clarksburg to talk about how it’s impacting our state.
She said when this first happened, she got on the phone with several people about the chemicals moving through the Ohio River.
“Knowing that some of those watersheds would be coming into where our takeouts are along the Ohio River, those chemicals have moved through there now. I think we’ve met the challenge there but not without a lot of oversight and a lot of testing.”
Besides air and water quality, one major concern has been the impact on agriculture.
Capito said this is a huge concern and thinks this is why they’re being more aggressive about the derailment.
“In terms of digging up the soil and replacing the soil or getting it out of there, it does get into the soil, it leeches and stays there. So, if we have agriculture products, it can also get into the water source. So, if you have cattle or chickens drinking the water, that’s coming. You got to make sure that it’s clean and chemical free. So, I think this will be long-term and a very long process to make sure and ensure the safeties.”
Now, they’re going to be looking at the long-term effects of the chemicals spilled from the train.
Capito said they’ll be answering these questions at their meeting, beginning in the first week of March, to discuss the train derailment further.