EPA

Evacuation orders for Richmond, Indiana, residents near a massive recycling center fire have been lifted as the cleanup begins, but schools remain closed.

Local leaders say the fire that started at a plastic recycling and storage facility in Richmond, Indiana, on Tuesday is now under control.

The counties receiving grants will use the funding to implement local projects to increase the quality of recyclable material, decrease contamination of recycling bins and improve drop-off recycling programs. The Ohio EPA estimates this project will impact over 190,000 households across the state.

Gov. Mike DeWine's office said a 26,800 ton pile of contaminated soil is sitting in East Palestine, waiting to be shipped to a licensed disposal facility.

The order requires Norfolk Southern to safely remove, transport and dispose of all soil and water contaminated with chemicals released during following the Feb. 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

If confirmed by the Ohio Senate, Anne Vogel will replace director Laurie Stevenson, who is set to retire at the end of the year.

The planning process for the clean-up of thousands of gallons of industrial waste at the Tremont City Barrel Fill site in Clark County is underway. However, officials told WYSO that it will still be a while until shovels hit the ground and waste starts to be hauled off from–or reinterred at–the former dump.

The plan comes after residents have been sounding the alarm for years about the potential for water contamination from the site.

PFAS, or forever chemicals are extremely difficult to break down so they stick around for a long time in water, soil and the human body. Prolonged exposure to them can have negative health effects according to the CDC.

After more than a year-long investigation, the US EPA alleged Renergy, Inc. burnt off some of the excess biogas it produced that contained levels of hydrogen sulfide–an extremely flammable and highly toxic colorless gas known for its “rotten egg” odor– that were above permitted levels (exceeding 1,000 ppmv concentration)

PFAS were discovered in more than a dozen public water systems in the Miami Valley during recent testing by the Ohio EPA. The chemicals have been linked to cancer and developmental problems in infants and children.

Dayton Public School officials hope to expand the food pantry to other buildings in the district. Officials are informing people about the invasive Hammerhead worm recently found in Ohio soil.