(NewsNation) — One year ago, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, releasing toxic chemicals into the environment. Now, fear and anxieties continue to plague the residents of the town as the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency continues to insist the air and water are safe.
“The majority just want to move on and get this in our past. You know, we were a quiet little village and weren’t used to the media attention. We want to just go back to our normal lives, but it’s gonna be a while till we can get there,” said East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway.
Conway joined NewsNation’s “Morning in America” to discuss what he believes should happen going forward.
“It can be frustrating at times. But I do trust the EPA, they’ve been a great partner to work with. So we just need to get everybody’s facts out and get everybody’s data together and try to make the best decision for our residents,” Conway said.
Meanwhile, some residents say they will never feel safe again.
“I don’t know if we can ever make everybody feel safe here. There was a lot of trauma to a lot of people in this town. And I just don’t know, if we can have the answers or we can give the factual data to make these people think that it will be safe,” Conway said.