EPA watchdog investigating delays in how the agency used sensor plane after fiery Ohio derailment [Video]

The EPA’s Inspector General is investigating why the agency didn’t get its specialized plane loaded with advanced sensors into the air over East Palestine until four days after the disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment last year.

The Associated Press reported on a whistleblower’s concerns this spring about the delays and discrepancies in the way the Environmental Protection Agency deployed its ASPECT plane that could have provided crucial information about the chemicals in the air and showed that tank cars filled with vinyl chloride weren’t likely to explode as officials feared.

The controversial decision to blow open those vinyl chloride cars and burn the toxic plastic ingredient generated a huge plume of black smoke over the Ohio town and fueled lingering fears about potential long-term health impacts from the exposure to a mixture of burning chemicals.

The noticethe Inspector General quietly posted Tuesday about the investigation said the watchdog will look “to determine whether the EPA and its contractors followed …