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EPA Administrator Michael Regan on Thursday promised that the Biden administration would “get to the bottom” of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month that resulted in a fire and a toxic chemical spill affecting residents and wildlife for miles.
In a visit to East Palestine, Regan addressed concerns over the Biden administration’s response to the disaster.
“The community has questions, and we hear you, we see you and we will get to the bottom of this,” Regan said at a joint press conference with Sen. Sherrod Brown and other officials. “As Governor [Mike] DeWine and I discussed last night, we are going to get through this as a team, and we are absolutely going to hold Norfolk Southern accountable, and I can promise you that.”
Regan said air monitoring has not shown any quality issues from the incident and urged residents to use bottled water if their private wells have not undergone testing.
Regan’s remarks come as Brown, a Democrat, and the state’s Republican senator, JD Vance, urged the Biden administration and DeWine to take more action in response to the situation.
“The important thing to me, as the administrator said, is that we hold Norfolk Southern accountable,” Brown said. “That means accountable for the tests for people to move back in, accountable for all the clean-up that would take weeks to assure people” that the air and water are safe for the residents.
Brown added that he has been working with the White House, the National Transportation Safety Board and other federal agencies to help coordinate the response.
Earlier Thursday, Brown sent a letter to DeWine demanding the governor issue a disaster declaration in East Palestine and to seek more assistance from the federal government to respond to “this unprecedented disaster.”
“A man-made disaster of this scale, scope, and significance necessitates a response and deployment of resources that are commensurate in scale and scope,” Brown wrote. “I’m grateful for all that the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio Emergency Management Agency, local fire fighters, and local law enforcement have done to respond to this unprecedented disaster, but it’s critical we act quickly to supplement those efforts.”
“Additional federal resources can and should play a critical role in helping our fellow Ohioans get back on their feet and ensure that their community is a safe place to live, work, and raise a family,” he added.
At a separate press conference Thursday morning, Vance, a Republican, criticized the Biden administration, while stressing that rail operator Norfolk Southern needs to be held accountable.
Vance expressed frustration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over what he characterized as “feet dragging” from the agency about questions over water quality for residents affected by the train derailment.
Asked whether he has a message for Biden, Vance said he has not spoken with the president, but would tell him that the Transportation Department needs to take more action and needs to “stop blaming” former President Donald Trump for contributing to a regulatory environment that led to the accident. Earlier this week, Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted that his agency’s ability to regulate the rail system is “constrained by law” due to a braking rule withdrawn by the Trump administration.
“A lot of this about leadership and just being available to people are making them realize that the biggest concern for people is when cameras disappear and the politicians are no longer around,” Vance said “I think the president could do a lot — standing in front of the White House press room for 30 seconds and saying, ‘People of East Palestine, I see you, we’re not going to forget about you.’”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday defended Buttigieg when asked about the criticism he faces from Democrats and Republicans who accuse him of deflecting to the Trump administration.
“We do have absolute confidence” in Buttigieg, Jean-Pierre said during a news briefing.
In a statement Thursday morning, DeWine said he requested additional federal assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Health and Emergency Response Team and the CDC. DeWine said he made the request after speaking with White House officials earlier Thursday.
“The DeWine administration has been in daily contact with FEMA to discuss the need for federal support, however FEMA continues to tell Governor DeWine that Ohio is not eligible for assistance at this time,” his office said in a statement. “Governor DeWine will continue working with FEMA to determine what assistance can be provided.”
Pressed on DeWine’s request for more federal support, the White House denied that FEMA isn’t supporting response to the train derailment.
“As you know, these needs are much more expansive than what FEMA can meet,” Jean-Pierre said Thursday. “So FEMA is on the frontlines when there is a hurricane or tornado — you’ve seen the president visit devastated areas that are devastated across the country — this situation is very different. That doesn’t mean FEMA isn’t supporting response; they indeed are.”
“This is a multiple agency response … HHS, CDC, EPA as well — they are coordinating with the emergency operation center and working closely with the Ohio Emergency Management Agency,” she added. “Each federal agency has its own unique role here.”
Demands from Brown and Vance come amid bipartisan calls for a congressional investigation into the train derailment. It is unclear such probe would focus more on Norfolk Southern or the federal government’s safety standards and response to the Feb. 3 incident.
In a statement Thursday, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., joined those criticizing the administration’s response.
“It is unacceptable that it took nearly two weeks for a senior administration official to show up” at the East Palestine train derailment site, Manchin said. “I urge President Biden, Administrator Regan, and Transportation Secretary [Pete] Buttigieg to provide a complete picture of the damage and a comprehensive plan to ensure the community is supported in the weeks, months and years to come, and this sort of accident never happens again. The damage done to East Palestine and the surrounding region is awful and it’s past time for those responsible to step up to the plate.”
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