A federal judge has allowed residents of East Palestine, Ohio, to intervene in a lawsuit after independent tests revealed “dangerous contamination still persists in the area,” NewsNation reports. According to the outlet, the federal government sued Norfolk Southern and agreed on a deal to “cover cleanup costs and provide health monitoring.” Judge allows East Palestine residents to intervene in train derailment lawsuithttps://t.co/1dH0dGtVVs — The Hill (@thehill) March 10, 2026 NewsNation explained further: That directly contradicts claims from the company and the Environmental Protection Agency that the area is safe. After the train derailed, officials conducted a controlled burn of tankers full of 116,000 gallons of vinyl chloride. Though the area was briefly evacuated, the EPA and Norfolk Southern gave an all-clear for people to return. But East Palestine residents have been sounding the alarm about toxins in their community, saying they are sick. Independent testers have also conducted tests showing high levels of toxins, results that have been ignored. EPA whistleblower testimony has also been dismissed. Whistleblower testimony stated that Norfolk Southern ignored prevailing wind patterns and collected baseline dioxin samples from areas impacted by the toxic plume, potentially skewing results. “What this means is that independent testing that has never seen the light of day in a courtroom will now see the light of day. EPA whistleblowers who have never had their day in court will have their day in court,” attorney Mindy Bish said, according to The Hill. “Once this evidence comes out fully, it’ll reveal the failures of the EPA and the United States in overseeing and being involved in the testing and the problems with the testing that was done,” Bish added. Meanwhile, Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) this week proposed the Railway Safety Act to “make sure that what happened in East Palestine never happens again.” I introduced the Railway Safety Act to make sure that what happened in East Palestine never happens again.https://t.co/EPVVJiDZLy pic.twitter.com/GJDXpglg6A — Senator Jon Husted (@SenJonHusted) March 9, 2026 The Hill noted: Bish said the evidence will show that the area people were told was safe to return to was not. “You’re going to have the U.S. government and the state of Ohio basically admitting they were wrong,” Bish said. Norfolk Southern and the government have argued against this in court, raising the question of why they are fighting to keep the public from seeing independent testing data.