EPA emails show agency tried to discredit independent scientist

(NewsNation) — Internal emails from the Environmental Protection Agency show the EPA was systematically tracking and attempting to discredit an independent scientist who found high levels of toxins in East Palestine, Ohio.

That contradicts the EPA’s assurances to residents when they told them it was safe to return home following a train derailment and controlled burn of cars containing hazardous chemicals. 

The emails show the EPA was also tracking residents, even as those same residents said the agency was ignoring their concerns.

After officials in East Palestine burned five tankers of vinyl chloride and the EPA said it was all clear for residents to return, independent testing expert Scott Smith found elevated levels of dioxins in the soil in East Palestine.

Smith’s findings contradicted what the EPA said at the time.

In the spring of 2023, after NewsNation reported Smith’s findings, former EPA administrator Judith Enck said the agency should pay attention to Smith’s test results.

Instead, EPA emails show they began collecting Smith’s personal information, tracking his movements and distributing his whereabouts to more than 50 EPA employees. They even circulated photos of his dog.

NewsNation even documented drones hovering near him on multiple occasions, which he believed were monitoring his actions. 

Lesley Pacey, with the Government Accountability Project, told NewsNation it was an issue of public safety.

“It’s troubling because this is a matter of transparency and truth and protecting public health. What the EPA seems to have done here in East Palestine is that they were more interested in controlling the narrative and controlling the narrative and controlling what was going out to the community, from the community and back to the community,” Pacey said. “They were definitely controlling the narrative of nothing to see here, no long-term health impacts.”

Smith has been to East Palestine more than 30 times to test. He met with now-Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in East Palestine, who called him an extraordinary advocate for the people there. 

Smith says taxpayer dollars should be spent on testing, not surveilling him. 

“They don’t want to look for the full spectrum of chemicals that I look for, and instead of sitting down with me and having a dialogue for the benefit of the community, they launched this smear campaign,” Smith said. “They’re clearly not serving the community they’re supposed to protect. And it’s not just East Palestine. It’s a systemic thing.”

In a statement to NewsNation, the EPA said it was “very concerned by claims that have come to light over the past few months.” 

“The Trump Administration is committed to maximum transparency, and as such, we intend to conduct a thorough review of decisions made in the aftermath of the train derailment. We will work to ensure the health and safety of the people of East Palestine,” the agency said.

NewsNation also spoke with resident Jami Wallace, who emails reveal was also surveilled. Her message for the current administration: The residents of the town aren’t stupid, and they feel and see the impacts of the disaster.

“I say it’s never too late to try to right a wrong. We know, everyone knows, the EPA knows, the government knows, the U.S. citizens know that we got screwed from the beginning. There were mistakes made. There were flaws,” she said. “But you just don’t continue to cover those up and forget about a whole community that’s now gone from symptoms to long-term illness. What you try to do is make that right.”