Pennsylvania Departments of Environmental Protection and Agriculture will have staff on site to connect residents to state resources
Darlington, PA – The Shapiro Administration will hold a Small Business Resource Fair on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 in Darlington Township, Beaver County. This is an opportunity for small businesses, farmers, and residents to receive the resources they need as they recover from the impacts of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The resource fair will be open from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Small Business Ombudsman's Office and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will be joined by local partners to connect residents and small businesses with information on grant and loan opportunities and other state resources.
"We want to help the residents of this community get their lives back to what they were before the Norfolk Southern train derailment," said Acting DEP Secretary Rich Negrin. "This resource fair demonstrates the Shapiro Administration's continued commitment to the people affected by the derailment. From environmental sampling, to health screenings, and – now – small business assistance, the Commonwealth is standing behind Beaver and Lawrence counties."
"The Shapiro Administration has been a united front in directly addressing the concerns of Pennsylvanians whose lives and businesses were upended when the train derailed," Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. "We are working together diligently to provide and verify the test results they need to restore their families' and customers' confidence in the safety of food grown and produced in the region, to connect Pennsylvanians with the resources they need, and to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for the costs."
The Small Business Resource Fair is open to the public. More information on the programs offered can be found here
Ongoing soil and water sampling have not found signs of contamination in Pennsylvania related to the derailment. More information, including an interactive map of sample results, can be found here
For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, please visit the website or follow DEP on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn
MEDIA CONTACTS: Neil Shader, DEP nshader@pa.gov
Shannon Powers, Agriculture shpowers@pa.gov
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