Government Accountability Project

Is East Palestine, Ohio still a safe town post-train derailment? It feels wiser to trust a whistleblower's word than the EPA these days.

Our latest whistleblower client, former CTEH scientist Peggy Dixon, just revealed how Norfolk Southern contractor CTEH committed negligent testing after the derailment.

"Peggy Dixon did what very few people in her position are willing to do. She was the one holding the instrument, in the creek and inside people's living rooms, and she has come forward about what she reports she was told to record and what she was told to leave out. That takes real courage," said Lesley Pacey, Senior Environmental Officer at Government Accountability Project.

"It matters enormously right now, as residents and response workers are reporting cancer diagnoses and other serious illnesses while being told that CTEH monitoring showed they were never exposed to anything harmful. Her disclosure demands hard scrutiny of a system in which EPA leans on contractors selected and paid by the responsible party to measure that party's own contamination."

Explore the evidence for yourself: https://whistleblower.org/press/norfolk-southern-contractor-whistleblower-reveals-concealed-evidence-of-environmental-harm-in-east-palestine/

🚊 We’ve been investigating the response to the East Palestine, OH train derailment for 3 years now. Since then, numerous whistleblowers have bravely come forward about data collection, inaccurate testing, premature decisions, and more.

After submitting FOIA requests, we uncovered previously hidden EPA documents in August revealing casualty estimates that were higher than those shared with the public, as reported by The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/us-news/officials-played-down-risks-in-ohio-train-disaster-residents-now-say-6acaed72

Last week our whistleblower client and former CTEH scientist, Peggy Dixon, filed a complaint alleging CTEH committed negligent chemical testing following the derailment: https://whistleblower.org/in-the-news/wall-street-journal-exclusive-contractor-played-down-contamination-risks-after-ohio-train-disaster-worker-says/

Since our investigation began, we have been calling for not only truth and justice, but also investigations, federally funded healthcare, National Priorities List designation, and relocation assistance. It is a small price to pay for the years of uncertainty East Palestine has faced.

Read our blog to learn more: https://whistleblower.org/blog/three-years-of-investigating-east-palestine-uncovering-more/

Photo Credit: More Perfect Union

Do Americans believe that those who speak truth to power deserve protection?

Government Accountability Project and National Whistleblower Center's joint poll drew insights into the country’s sentiment toward whistleblower protections in this historic moment. Findings include:

📊 86% of respondents believe Congress should prioritize passing stronger laws protecting employees who report fraud (up from 81% in 2020);

📊 68% of respondents support federal employee whistleblowers’ access to court and jury trials to defend against free-speech retaliation;

📊 64% of respondents say they’re more likely to vote for a Congressional candidate who supports laws that protect fraud-reporting whistleblowers (up from 44% in 2020).

Government Accountability Project and National Whistleblower Center hope the findings inform policymakers as they help shape the future of U.S. whistleblower protections.

"The public knows that whistleblowers are America's best defense against government fraud, waste and abuse," stated Maya Efrati, Director of Legislation and Congressional Affairs at Government Accountability Project. "It's time for the legislators to listen."

"These results demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that providing effective protections for whistleblowers is of urgent concern to the overwhelming majority of the American public," said Stephen Kohn, Founder of National Whistleblower Center. "This is an urgent message to hold corporations and the government accountable for corruption."

Learn more: https://whistleblower.org/press/whistleblower-poll-results/

We're grateful for the courage of our whistleblower client to come forward with this disclosure, detailing how Kennedy Center leadership halted repairs that were later cited for its closure. We hope this truth-telling helps prevent the needless closure of a historic institution that belongs to the public—not the president.

Whistleblowers are alleging that Kennedy Center officials halted plans earlier this year to repair leaks in the building, which the Trump administration has highlighted as its reason to close the storied arts institution. https://cnn.it/4dWpNos

Featured in 21 WFMJ, our whistleblower and former CTEH scientist Peggy Dixon shares what it was like to test for chemicals in East Palestine, OH.

Dixon alleges that CTEH pressured field workers to produce "zeros" in chemical monitoring results, warning that workers who recorded too many detections could be viewed as unable to operate their equipment with the implication they would be sent home.

“We’ve seen shades of this happen in other disasters elsewhere, but in this situation I have never seen so many things go wrong in on single disaster... As a nation, we need to learn from this," stated environmental engineering professor Dr. Andrew Whelton.

Government Accountability Project welcomes the recent call to conduct a formal investigation into EPA; we hope Dixon's whistleblowing will help locals receive the healthcare and support they deserve.

Learn more:

WFMJ: Former scientist alleges pressure to downplay East Palestine chemical testing - Government Accountability Project Former scientist alleges pressure to downplay East Palestine chemical testing This article features Government Accountability Project whistleblower client Peggy Dixon and Senior Environmental Officer Lesley Pacey, and was originally published here. EAST PALESTINE - The Government Accountability Proj...

🗞️ Our whistleblower and former CTEH scientist Peggy Dixon shares what she witnessed on-the-ground in East Palestine, OH for the The Wall Street Journal:

“[CTEH] emphasized that we wanted zeros in our reports,” Dixon stated in the 97-page affidavit. “But zeros didn’t match what we were experiencing on the ground.”

Dixon shared that she and other field workers developed symptoms including rashes and dizziness while testing for chemicals. These symptoms held similarities to what locals were experiencing, Dixon said. “Early on, some families seemed mildly symptomatic, complaining of headaches, scratchy throats and sinus issues,” she stated. “But as the weeks passed, symptoms grew worse. By the middle of March, families I visited were clearly more ill than they had been in February.”

EPA contractor the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health (CTEH) has since been rebranded as Onterris.

Government Accountability Project welcomes an investigation into EPA's handling of the derailment in East Palestine, and hopes Dixon's disclosure will help community members receive the relocation support and healthcare they've needed for 3+ years now.

Read the story: https://whistleblower.org/in-the-news/wall-street-journal-exclusive-contractor-played-down-contamination-risks-after-ohio-train-disaster-worker-says/

Photo Credit: Michael Swensen

🧪 We just filed a hotline complaint detailing negligent chemical testing on behalf of our whistleblower and former Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health (CTEH) scientist, Peggy Dixon.

"Peggy Dixon did what very few people in her position are willing to do. She was the one holding the instrument, in the creek and inside people's living rooms, and she has come forward about what she reports she was told to record and what she was told to leave out. That takes real courage,” stated Senior Environmental Officer Lesley Pacey.

"It matters enormously right now, as residents and response workers are reporting cancer diagnoses and other serious illnesses while being told that CTEH monitoring showed they were never exposed to anything harmful. Her disclosure demands hard scrutiny of a system in which EPA leans on contractors selected and paid by the responsible party to measure that party's own contamination.”

Dixon's disclosure examines how CTEH (now rebranded as Onterris) committed negligent chemical testing in East Palestine, Ohio, where field workers were pressured to produce "zeros" in chemical monitoring results after the 2023 train derailment.

We welcome the recent call from Vance to conduct a formal investigation into EPA, and hope Dixon's whistleblowing helps East Palestine and impacted areas of Pennsylvania finally receive the healthcare and relocation assistance they deserve.

Learn more: https://whistleblower.org/press/norfolk-southern-contractor-whistleblower-reveals-concealed-evidence-of-environmental-harm-in-east-palestine/

Norfolk Southern Contractor Whistleblower Reveals Concealed Evidence of Environmental Harm in East Palestine - Government Accountability Project September 23, 2026 Norfolk Southern Contractor Whistleblower Reveals Concealed Evidence of Environmental Harm in East Palestine WASHINGTON—Today, Government Accountability Project filed a hotline complaint to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) on behalf...

🎉 The Department of Energy's Office of Inspector General (DOE OIG) just substantiated our nuclear whistleblowers' claims of waste, fraud and abuse at TFE's Carlsbad Project in NM, following employer retaliation at the radioactive waste facility.

"Two very deserving whistleblowers who bravely put public safety ahead of their own well-being have been vindicated," stated counsel Stephani Ayers. "We will continue to stand by them to insure the harms done to them are rectified."

Following DOE's OIG decision of finding the whistleblowers' employer unlawfully retaliated against the individuals, the Department's Office of Hearing and Appeals granted awards to the whistleblowers and ordered the employer to issue remedial damages such as backpay, reinstatement, and paid time off.

Learn more:

Inspector General Substantiates Whistleblower Disclosures - Government Accountability Project September 22, 2026 Inspector General Substantiates Whistleblower Disclosures WASHINGTON—Two nuclear whistleblowers, Jacqueline Downard and Stephen Christopher, received favorable findings from the Department of Energy’s Office of Inspector General (DOE OIG) after disclosing a federal contractor....

Since 2025, 1,700+ whistleblowers have come to Government Accountability Project seeking aid as they disclose fraud, waste, and abuses of power at the highest levels of government.

Progress on nearly every major social issue relies on these courageous disclosures.

Share our free whistleblowing guide, "Truth-Telling in Government," to someone who may need it:https://whistleblower.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Truth-Telling-in-Government_2nd-Edition.pdf 📣