EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Residents of East Palestine attended a community meeting led by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

People expressed their concerns about the derailment and the ongoing lawsuits surrounding it.  

“I needed to hear from the people in the community without a filter and we sure did,” said Ohio AG Dave Yost. 

AG Yost spoke with residents of East Palestine about their ongoing concerns surrounding the February 2023 train derailment. 

He says based on what he heard at this meeting, he will be rejecting a settlement from a federal lawsuit filed against Norfolk Southern. 

“The federal government has reached a tentative deal with Norfolk Southern and there will be a hearing. A federal judge has to approve that. After what I heard here today, I’ve made the decision that we’re going to ask the court to send that back to the negotiating table,” said AG Yost. 

Residents in the audience applauded when Yost made the announcement to reject the federal government settlement. 

Many people would still like to see more and ongoing testing of soil, water and wildlife completed. 

Marilyn Figley is an East Palestine resident and says she usually grows enough food on her property to feed her family. 

“We did not have a garden last year. We did not eat the berries. We didn’t tap the trees. We didn’t do anything last year because we’re afraid. We did have our property independent tested, and the garlic was off the chart with dioxins,” said Marilyn Figley.

Yost says residents raised new concerns for him. 

“I’m not comfortable with the idea, for example, that we’re going to test the water, but there’s not a responsibility to correct any problems that are found downstream,” said AG Yost. 

Yost says he doesn’t plan to settle the state’s lawsuit against Norfolk Southern until after the results from the National Transportation Safety Board’s study are returned.