East Palestine, OH – January 2025
Two years after the Norfolk Southern train derailment devastated East Palestine, Edwin Wang, owner of CeramFab, is still waiting for answers—and action. His factory sits at Ground Zero of the disaster, where toxic chemicals spilled and burned, turning his thriving business into a toxic wasteland.
“This was supposed to be the American Dream,” Wang said, his voice heavy with frustration. “We built this business from the ground up, created 50 jobs, and were on track to make a huge impact on the local economy. One night destroyed it all.”
Watch the video interview with Wang and Bergquam:
The derailment on February 3, 2023, unleashed a fireball of chemical contamination, rendering the surrounding area unsafe. While massive soil removal operations have taken place outside the plant, the interior remains untouched.
“Two years of promises, and nothing has been done to clean this building,” Wang explained. “The EPA told us it would take three months. Then eight months. Then a year. Now, there’s no timetable.”
Wang claims his business, once a beacon of hope in the community, has been reduced to ruins. Workers became sick after re-entering the facility, experiencing rashes, chemical bronchitis, and nausea. Customers vanished, and equipment worth millions now gathers dust in a building deemed unsafe.
“Every time we step inside, the smell is overpowering. It’s not safe, and everyone knows it,” Wang said. “The government says it’s fine, but no one will come near this place.”
A Letter to Trump
Wang has written a letter to President Donald Trump, who he hopes will bring attention to the plight of East Palestine’s residents and business owners.
“President Trump understands what it means to build something,” Wang said. “I hope he can help us recover what we’ve lost. This administration hasn’t done anything to support us—not even a bottle of water.”
Wang’s desperation is shared by others in East Palestine. The community feels abandoned, with residents pointing fingers at Joe Biden’s administration for neglecting the town’s crisis.
“They spend billions on foreign wars and welcome illegal immigrants, but what about us?” Wang asked. “We’re taxpaying Americans, and we’ve been left to fend for ourselves.”
Broken Promises
Ben Bergquam, a journalist with Real America’s Voice, toured Wang’s factory and shared his outrage.
“This is the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, and nothing has been done to clean up this factory,” Bergquam said in a video shared online. “The government has failed these people.”
Bergquam highlighted the disparity between government promises and actions. “They’ve cleared the soil outside, but the factory itself—the heart of this tragedy—is untouched. How is that acceptable?”
As Bergquam and Wang stood near the still-contaminated tracks, a train rumbled by. “They resumed operations five days after the disaster,” Wang said. “But for us, it’s been two years, and we’re still shut down.”
Looking Forward
Wang hopes Trump’s presidency will bring change. “Only he can understand what we’re going through,” Wang said. “We’re a small business, but we matter. Fifty employees represent fifty families. We need help.”
The letter, which Wang handed to Bergquam to deliver to Trump, pleads for intervention to relocate the factory and restore the livelihoods of its workers.
“I want my kids to grow up safe. I want them to see the value of hard work and the American Dream,” Wang said. “Right now, it feels like that dream is dead.”
As East Palestine waits for answers, Wang’s story is a stark reminder of the disaster’s lasting impact. For the residents of this Ohio town, the fight to rebuild is far from over.