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The EPA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its findings after a review following a complaint that the aircraft was not deployed according to standard practice.
US EPA
WASHINGTON - A new report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's internal oversight office indicates the agency followed its established procedures for deploying a specialized air monitoring aircraft during the 2023 East Palestine train derailment. However, the report also notes that the procedures for using this aircraft are not widely known, which could affect decision-making during emergencies.
The EPA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its findings Monday after a review following a complaint that the Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) aircraft was not deployed according to standard practice and that a delay in its activation contributed to a controlled burn of hazardous materials.
The OIG’s evaluation determined that EPA and its contractors followed existing practices for deploying the ASPECT aircraft. The plane was sent out when requested by the EPA on-scene coordinator (OSC) and departed within the 90-minute timeframe outlined in its contract for non-business hours. The report concluded there was no evidence of a delay in the aircraft's deployment.
According to the OIG, the lead EPA OSC arrived in East Palestine on the morning of Feb. 5, 2023, and initially assessed that ground-level air monitoring provided adequate data. Later...
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