EAST PALESTINE, Ohio - Ohio Governor, Mike DeWine has expressed concern for the speed of the removal of contaminated soil in the village of East Palestine.

Currently, there are 24,400 tons of contaminated soil that has yet to be removed from the village versus a mere 2,980 tons that have already been removed.

Governor DeWine, along with the Ohio EPA have expressed concerns of threats of future contamination stating that future injury to public health cannot be fully eliminated until the contaminated soil is removed from the village.

"The needs of this community are essentially getting lost in all this red tape, and piles of hazardous soil must not continue to sit stagnant in East Palestine," DeWine said.

DeWine went on to say that while he understand the U.S. EPA is taking steps to ensure the soil is disposed of in a safe and proper manner, the amount of time it's taking to get the soil removed is "outrageous."

"I'm calling on the U.S. EPA and Norfolk Southern to identify and subsequently authorize more sites to take this waste immediately. All licensed hazardous waste facilities in the country are well equipped to dispose of this soil, and quite frankly, much more dangerous waste in a safe manner. It's time to get moving," DeWine said.

In all circumstanced involving hazardous waste, the waste must be disposed of at a permitted hazardous waste treatment and disposal facility. All permitted facilities must meet the requirements of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act's (RCRA) hazardous waste permitting program.

The RCRA ensures the safe management of hazardous waste in a manner that protects public health and the environment.

However, according to Governor DeWine, the U.S. EPA has taken the approach of requiring pre-approval of all disposal and transport of contaminated soil and liquids from the derailment site.

This approval is an additional step beyond all all other applicable safety regulations required under the RCRA and U.S. Department of Transportation.