EAST PALESTINE

Ross is committed to openness and transparency with the community, he said. Eaton Township and Grafton-area residents have already expressed concerns — one protested at state Routes 82 and 83 on Tuesday — after learning late Monday that Ross would be receiving some of the East Palestine debris.

Of the materials cleaned from the East Palestine derailment, 200 tons were taken to Heritage Thermal Services in East Liverpool to be incinerated, and 400 tons shipped to U.S. Ecology Wayne Disposal in Belleville, Michigan, to be placed in a landfill, according to state officials.

Six U.S. senators — Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican J.D. Vance of Ohio, Democrats Bob Casey and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Republican Marco Rubio of Florida and Republican Josh Hawley of Missouri — announced Wednesday that they plan to introduce the Railway Safety Act of 2023 in the Senate “to prevent future train disasters like the derailment that devastated East Palestine, Ohio.”

The bill is intended to enhance safety procedures, according to a news release.

“It shouldn’t take a massive railroad disaster for elected officials to put partisanship aside and work together for the people we serve — not corporations like Norfolk Southern,” Brown said. “Rail lobbyists have fought for years to protect their profits at the expense of communities like East Palestine and Steubenville and Sandusky. These commonsense bipartisan safety measures will finally hold big railroad companies accountable, make our railroads and the towns along them safer, and prevent future tragedies, so no community has to suffer like East Palestine again.”

“Through this legislation, Congress has a real opportunity to ensure that what happened in East Palestine will never happen again. We owe every American the peace of mind that their community is protected from a catastrophe of this kind,” Vance said. “Action to prevent future disasters is critical, but we must never lose sight of