EPA launches investigation into ASPECT failures in Eastern Palestine

July 17, 2024

EPA launches investigation into ASPECT failures in Eastern Palestine

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, in a major victory for whistleblowers and the East Palestine community, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opened an investigation into the Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) flight missions, policies, procedures, and quality assurance projects used during the East Palestine, Ohio, poison train derailment in February 2023. This investigation comes after Government Accountability Project whistleblower client Dr. Robert Kroutil disclosed The EPA’s failure to deploy the ASPECT aircraft in a timely manner and its negligence in data collection – it turned off chemical sensors in and around eastern Palestine. The Government Accountability Project commends the EPA’s efforts to launch an investigation soon after receiving the revelation. This investigation will hopefully shed light on why the ASPECT aircraft was not deployed properly after this disaster that left many people sick or homeless.

Lesley Pacey, senior environmental officer at the Government Accountability Project, commented:

“We are pleased that EPA OIG has agreed to continue the investigation into our whistleblower’s important revelations about the delayed deployment and misuse of ASPECT in Eastern Palestine. This is a major step toward gathering additional information for residents harmed by this disaster and preventing the misuse of EPA’s best chemical sensing technology in future disasters.”

The Government Accountability Project is the nation’s leading whistleblower protection organization. By litigating whistleblower cases, publicizing concerns, and developing legal reforms, the Government Accountability Project’s mission is to protect the public interest by promoting government and business accountability. Founded in 1977, the Government Accountability Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization based in Washington, DC.

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