EAST PALESTINE A group describing itself as a non-profit, non-partisan whistleblower advocate claims government documents indicate that the United States Environmental Protection Agency monitored East Palestine residents following the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment.

According to a news release, the documents were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by the Government Accountability Project (GAP).

According to GAP, the documents show a pattern of EPA personnel tracking and monitoring private citizens for public relations purposes.

The organization stated that while residents were experiencing health issues and organizing to address unmet needs, senior EPA officials, including a Region 5 On Scene Coordinator, tracked the online activities of residents who were most vocal about health impacts.

GAP alleges that the records, which include emails between EPA personnel, show that the agency routinely monitored and routed Facebook posts from activists, residents, and whistleblowers to senior leadership.

GAP stated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also shared its own "Social Listening Reports" with the EPA. The documents allegedly show that the EPA monitored Facebook groups and focused on critics, including a specific doctor and other residents.

Lesley Pacey, a senior environmental officer at GAP, said in a news release that the records confirm the EPA was more concerned with its public image than with public health.

Pacey said the documents show that EPA leadership tracked and distributed Facebook posts from "concerned residents—ordinary citizens voicing fears about contamination and safety—while downplaying mounting scientific evidence of serious chemical exposure."

An EPA spokesperson, in a statement attributed to the Trump Administration, said the emails in question are from 2023 during the Biden administration.

The spokesperson said the Trump Administration is "very concerned by claims that have come to light over the past few months" and intends to conduct a "thorough review of decisions made in the aftermath of the train derailment."

The statement, emailed to 21 News, said the administration is "committed to maximum transparency" and to ensuring the health and safety of East Palestine residents.