EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (WHTM) — Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro joined state and federal officials in Ohio Tuesday, vowing to hold rail company Norfolk Southern accountable for the train derailment in East Palestine in early February.

The EPA announced a new order, giving the company 48 hours to respond. Shapiro said his administration is exploring legal action.

“The combination of Norfolk Southern’s corporate greed, incompetence and lack of care for our residents is absolutely unacceptable to me,” Shapiro said.

The governor did not mince words in condemning train company over the toxic derailment disaster, accusing the company of causing confusion and putting residents of both states at risk.

“In the face of Norfolk Southern’s arrogance and incompetence, I want you to know we are fighting back,” he said.

Shapiro added he is exploring legal action.

“We’ve made a criminal referral to the acting attorney general in Pennsylvania,” he announced Tuesday.

The referral came from the Department of Environmental Protection. Acting Attorney General Michelle Henry’s office said in a statement, “We…will act quickly to investigate this incident, gather the facts, and then evaluate the evidence to make a determination under Pennsylvania law.”

Full statement:

Our office has been monitoring the train derailment in East Palestine and we are outraged on behalf of the residents who have suffered the consequences of this catastrophe. We have just received a criminal referral from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and will act quickly to investigate this incident, gather the facts, and then evaluate the evidence to make a determination under Pennsylvania law. Pennsylvanians have a constitutional right to clean air and pure water, and we will not hesitate to hold anyone or any company responsible for environmental crimes in our Commonwealth.

Office of Acting Attorney General Michelle Henry

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is also demanding accountability.

“Norfolk Southern will pay for cleaning up the mess that they created,” EPA administrator Michael Regan said.

Regan announced his agency’s new order, signed Monday. Under the order, Norfolk Southern must clean up all contamination to the EPA’s standards, cover related costs including reimbursing the EPA and attend public meetings to share information with the community..

“Full transparency is the only option,” Regan said.

Regan said the EPA will also review and approve Norfolk Southern’s work plan with state and local government input. He said he is committed to enforcement.

“This order gives us the ability to step in and do the work, simultaneously fine them up to $70,000 a day,” he explained.

Regan said if the EPA does have to do the job, the agency will charge the company three times the cost of all efforts.

Meanwhile, cleanup and independent testing continues in both states.

“It’s the data that’s coming from Norfolk Southern not matching or meeting our expectations,” Regan said.

Federal, state and local agencies continue testing air quality and water. Regan said the EPA has tested indoor air quality in over 500 homes.

Governor Shapiro’s press secretary Manuel Bonder said in a statement that the announcement allowing residents to return home came after EPA data, reviewed by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Health, showed no dangerous air quality readings.

“Pennsylvania continues to see no concerning air quality readings,” Shapiro said Tuesday.

Shapiro said Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection is testing water in a two-mile radius of the derailment.

“We should be receiving the first round of test results in the coming days,” he said.

Shapiro said state agencies will keep working until people are safe. The governor’s press secretary told abc27 Shapiro committed the DEP to conduct independent water testing for at least the next year.

“I want every Pennsylvanian who is worried right now to know one thing: Our administration stands with you,” Shapiro said.

abc27 reached out to Norfolk Southern for comment on the EPA’s order and Shapiro’s announcement of the criminal referral but did not receive a response.