EAST PALESTINE — Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan announced Friday the agency is “optimistic” that cleanup of the derailment site will be complete in three months.

“At the current rate, the EPA anticipates that it will take approximately three months to complete our cleanup of the site. That number can change based on site conditions, weather and access to disposal facilities, but we’re optimistic about the current trajectory,” Regan said.

Six weeks after the derailment in East Palestine on Feb. 3, cleanup and remediation efforts are still ongoing, but residents can take some comfort that a potential finish line is in sight. Regan said that as of Thursday “nearly half of the total excavation of contaminated soil from under the tracks” has been completed and “significant progress” was being made on the removal of the remaining soil. These efforts represent the entirety of the southern area of the tracks excavated down to the clay layer, with excavation of the north section expected to be completed in early April.

Regan also addressed the removal of waste from the area, noting millions of gallons of liquid waste and thousands of tons of solid waste already have been removed.

“Approximately 6.8 million gallons of liquid waste and more than 5,400 tons of solid waste have been transported out of East Palestine to designated waste facilities,” Regan said.

Regan said that of the solid waste removed, 1,600 tons had been removed “in the last 48 hours alone” and that there were “roughly 35 trucks hauling waste out of the community this week.”

In addition to the removal of contaminated soil, testing to ensure the long-term safety of residents and lasting impact on the local environment is ongoing. Thus far, 92 soil samples have been collected to help identify if contaminants such as volatile organic compounds and dioxins are present and may have been caused by the train derailment, and 616 indoor air screenings have been conducted thus far. There is also ongoing 24-hour, seven-day a week air monitoring at 23 stations across the community, none of which has detected vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride thus far.

While Regan acknowledged these efforts represented “real progress,” he said the EPA also believed that Norfolk could be removing contaminated soil faster, citing concerns that “certain states are inhibiting the company’s ability to execute contracts.” This comes in the wake of recent actions by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt to block shipments of soil from East Palestine from entering the state for processing, actions Regan described as “impermissible and unacceptable.”

“The residents of East Palestine should expect that states, private companies and the federal government will work together to effectuate the swift cleanup they deserve. That’s exactly what EPA has set out to do, and we will not tolerate anything less,” Regan said.