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Energy & Environment
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Energy & Environment
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Ohio town grapples with toxic spill fallout
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A class-action lawsuit in East Palestine, Ohio — the site of a major train derailment and toxic spill this month — hopes to replicate the opioid-lawsuit playbook.
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The lawsuit has been filed against Norfolk Southern Railway, the operator of the train carrying toxic chemicals that derailed on Feb. 3.
Plaintiffs in the case — residents from the East Palestine area — are seeking oversight over the cleanup process and the creation of a fund for medical monitoring.
The lawsuit invokes the legal doctrine of public nuisance, which has previously been used to take on both tobacco and opioid companies. We have more on the effort at TheHill.com.
The effort comes as the National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday released its preliminary report on the train wreck.
While the board has not yet identified a probable cause, the early report seemingly confirmed that a wheel bearing overheated just before the train jumped the track.
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Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.
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How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future:
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The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has upped its estimate for the number of animals killed by the derailment of train cars carrying hazardous chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, to nearly 44,000.
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House Republicans are launching a probe of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s response to the derailment of a train carrying hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio, marking the latest spark to partisan tensions surrounding the incident.
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A Youngstown, Ohio-based law firm has announced a class-action lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Railway over the derailment of a train in East Palestine, using a strategy it says echoes the state’s 1990s lawsuit against tobacco companies.
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
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Story at a glance A Gulf Coast box turtle lost its back legs after being hit by a car. The turtle was taken in by a foster family and can’t be released to the wild. Children from the First Lego …
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News we’ve flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:
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The carbon removal industry puts down roots as it grows (Axios)
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Parts of US see earliest spring conditions on record: ‘Climate change playing out in real time’ (The Guardian)
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How energy from Earth’s crust could pull carbon from the sky (The Washington Post)
- How NSF uses ‘absurd’ health reasons to block scientists from polar missions (E&E News)
- Revealed: The massive contamination of Europe by PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ (Le Monde)
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Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:
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Tuesday
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The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on a permitting reform bill
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The House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee will hold a markup on nine bills
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The House Science, Space and Technology Committee will hold a hearing on creating a national science and technology strategy
Wednesday
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The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of Joseph Goffman to lead the EPA’s Air and Radiation Office
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The Senate Budget Committee will hold a hearing on the economic costs of climate change on coastal communities
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Two key stories on The Hill right now:
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House Democrats are up in arms after a GOP lawmaker suggested Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), the nation’s first Chinese American congresswoman, is disloyal to the United States. Read more
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Rihanna’s halftime show at Super Bowl LVII elicited more complaints from TV viewers than Sam Smith and Kim Petras’s controversial performance at the Grammy Awards. Read more
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Op-eds related to energy & environment submitted to The Hill:
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You’re all caught up. See you next week!
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