EAST PALESTINE — Instead of looking out for the residents impacted by the 2023 train derailment, the federal Environmental Protection Agency used resources to look into the social media movements of those residents, a government watchdog group claims.

According to the Government Accountability Project, the group obtained records through a Freedom of Information Act request that show EPA surveillance of East Palestine residents. The GAP alleges that “records of communication between EPA personnel show a pattern of tracking and monitoring private citizens for the purpose of public relations” and zeroed in on the residents who made the most noise about public health concerns.

Lesley Pacey, senior environmental officer for Government Accountability Project, said the resources used to monitor

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