Whistleblowers claim EPA tracked East Palestine residents after derailment
EAST PALESTINE A group describing itself as a non-profit, non-partisan whistleblower advocate claims government documents indicate that the United States Environmental Protection Agency monitored East Palestine residents following the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment.
According to a news release, the documents were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by the Government Accountability Project (GAP).
According to GAP, the documents show a pattern of EPA personnel tracking and monitoring private citizens for public relations purposes.
The organization stated that while residents were experiencing health issues and organizing to address unmet needs, senior EPA officials, including a Region 5 On Scene Coordinator, tracked the online activities of residents who were most vocal about health impacts.
GAP alleges that the records, which include emails between EPA personnel, show that the agency routinely monitored and routed Facebook posts from activists, residents, and whistleblowers to senior leadership.
GAP stated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also shared its own “Social Listening Reports” with the EPA. The documents allegedly show that the EPA monitored Facebook groups and focused on critics, including a specific doctor and other residents.
Lesley Pacey, a senior environmental officer at GAP, said in a news release that the records confirm the EPA was more...
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