OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – There won’t be any toxic waste from the East Palestine train derailment brought into the state after Governor Stitt turned away Norfolk Southern’s shipment.

For weeks, the country has watched as East Palestine, Ohio, dealt with a train derailment that turned into an environmental disaster.

Norfolk Southern is the company responsible for the cleanup in East Palestine.

In a statement, an EPA spokesperson said Norfolk Southern is contracted with Lone Mountain Landfill Facility, located in Waynoka and operated by Clean Harbors, and is able to accept the waste.

“EPA has safeguards in place to ensure communities are protected every step of the way,” said Maria Michalos, EPA spokesperson.

Saturday afternoon, the Governor received an email from the EPA informing him of Norfolk Southern’s intentions to ship waste to the Lone Mountain facility.

By Sunday, Governor Stitt stopped the idea in its tracks.

“There are too many unanswered questions and ultimately I made the decision that this is not in the best interest of Oklahomans,” tweeted Stitt.

He wasn’t alone. Senator James Lankford also tweeted his support for the Governor.

Oklahoma’s newest Senator, Markwayne Mullin, is a ranking member on the Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight Committee.

“I’ve been in constant communication with Governor Stitt throughout this process,” said Mullin, in part of a statement. “We spoke at length as the governor evaluated his options. I stand by his informed decision.” 

An Oklahoma state website shows that Lone Mountain has “a hazardous waste permit authorizing storage, treatment, recycling, and disposal of a wide variety of hazardous wastes.”

The EPA spokesperson said what Stitt did is unlawful.

“It’s not only wrong, it’s unlawful to refuse shipments of waste because they come from other states,” said Michalos. “We are reviewing all legal authorities to ensure that the people of East Palestine, who’ve suffered enough already, don’t become victims of this political grandstanding.”

Oklahoma seems to have decided on this issue before the waste entered the state.

NBC reported, Michigan and Texas both received waste material without prior notice. Officials in both states did not know how the waste ended up at their facilities and how much was dumped.

Clean Harbors, the company that operates Lone Mountain, did not return a request for comment.

Norfolk Southern will continue looking for a destination to dump the waste.

“On behalf of the residents of East Palestine, we’re doing everything we can to quickly and safely obtain the necessary approvals to transport waste to facilities that are licensed and equipped to accept it,” said Connor Spielmaker, spokesperson for Norfolk Southern.