The White House is scoring a victory in its response to last year’s derailment of a train transporting toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, as President Biden prepares for his first visit to the site.
The administration’s media blitz on Wednesday came nearly 12 months after the disaster, which occurred in early February 2023 and raised concerns of widespread contamination of the region’s air and water supplies. In response to the accident, the federal government, led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), took steps to clear the derailment site, remove waste, and implement new rail safety measures.
“We have worked here at the U.S. Department of Transportation throughout this process and will continue to do so. Safety is our department’s primary raison d’être. Air safety, road safety, rail safety. “Whether it’s safety, that’s always our mission’s top priority,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters Wednesday. “All of this is at risk and continues to be at risk in response to what happened a year ago.”
EPA Administrator Michael Regan added, “For many, this has been a year of fear, a year of uncertainty, and a year of change.” “We recognize that times are extremely difficult. That is why President Biden mobilized a whole-of-government response and supported the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assist the people of East Palestine, Ohio. We are very grateful for your leadership.”We have worked hard to hold South Norfolk accountable, clean up this mess and restore this close-knit community. ”
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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks during a press conference near the site of the Norfolk Southern Railroad derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 23, 2023. (Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The White House announced Wednesday that Biden will visit the site in East Palestine at some point next month to observe ongoing cleanup efforts. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said shortly after the incident that Biden would visit the site, but that plan fell through last year.
Asked why he didn’t visit in September, Biden said, “I haven’t made up my mind.”
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All told, the EPA has removed an estimated 176,787 tons of solid waste and 44.4 million gallons of wastewater from sites since February, according to federal data released Friday. Crews have also completed all planned excavation and are continuing backfilling as test results show the contaminated soil has been removed.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan answers questions in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Orsagos)
Additionally, the White House highlighted additional federal efforts, including testing air quality, assisting local residents, investigating the cause of the derailment, and monitoring potential health effects on nearby residents. This effort involves the EPA, Department of Transportation, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Agriculture.
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“On behalf of FEMA Administrator DeAnne Criswell and the entire Biden-Harris Administration, I want to reiterate that our agency is fully committed and will continue to stand with the people of East Palestine as they transition to long-term recovery assistance. ” FEMA Response and Recovery Office Deputy Administrator Anne Bink said Wednesday.
A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled explosion on part of a derailed Norfolk Southern train on February 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Jean J. Pasker, File)
But even as the Biden administration worked to clear the area, it was never able to issue a national disaster declaration, which Ohio officials had repeatedly requested. In July, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine sent a letter to Biden doubling down on his request, and a month later, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, told FEMA that it would require “additional resources from the federal government.” He asked that DeWine’s request be granted to “free the man.”
“It is our responsibility to do everything we can to help them recover. I will continue to do everything I can to support the families and small businesses of East Palestine,” said Brown. in a letter to Commissioner DeAnne Criswell. “Now is the time for you to step up and provide the support that only FEMA can provide.”
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Biden signed an executive order in September directing FEMA to appoint a federal disaster recovery coordinator to oversee cleanup efforts. However, he declined to grant Ohio’s disaster declaration request, choosing instead to put the request on hold pending further developments.
“We continue to coordinate with the federal government through the appointment of a federal disaster recovery coordinator to help identify unmet needs in East Palestine,” a senior administration official told reporters Wednesday. “This was one of our major charges under the executive order, and we continue to do the same today.”
“However, that work is still ongoing, and it is premature to determine what additional federal resources will be needed at this time,” the official added. “We will be sure to share further information as it becomes available.”
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A train transporting vinyl chloride, a dangerous colorless gas, operated by Norfolk Southern Railway on February 3, 2023. Derailment accident in East Palestine, located along the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Immediately after the derailment, Norfolk Southern Railway chose to vent gas from the derailed cars to prevent a potentially disastrous explosion, potentially releasing deadly gas into the air.
Local residents were told to evacuate the area during the release, but were assured it would be safe to return within a week. But experts expressed concern that the air and water were unsafe.
“This is like a nuclear winter,” local hazardous materials expert Sil Caggiano told Fox News at the time. “Almost, yeah, we nuked this town with chemicals.”
