Biden’s administration on Friday defended its reaction to the derailment of a poisonous charging exercise in Ohio two weeks ago, even as local leaders and members of Congress demanded more be done.
The Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, left poisonous chemicals scattered or burning, prompting evacuations and fears of contamination through the state and federal response from citizens.
Management said it had “mobilized a strong multi-agency effort for the other people of eastern Palestine, Ohio,” since the derailment. Michael Regan, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, toured the site Thursday, walking along a creek that still reeks of chemicals as he sought to reassure skeptical citizens that the water was safe to drink and the air breathable.
No other cabinet members visited the rural village, where about 5,000 people live near the Pennsylvania line. But administration officials insisted that their reaction be swift and effective.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who has been criticized by lawmakers and the mayor of eastern Palestine for not visiting the site, said the Ohio crisis is just one of many derailments that occur each year.
“There’s obviously more to do, because while this horrible scenario has drawn attention, there are about 1,000 cases of exercise derailment a year,” Buttigieg told Yahoo Finance on Thursday.
Just hours after the derailment of the Norfolk Southern exercise, the EPA deployed a team to eastern Palestine for state and local environmental and emergency response efforts, the White House said. The agency coordinated with the state’s Emergency Operations Center and other partners, the White House said.
President Joe Biden has presented federal assistance to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, he said.
In response to a request from DeWine and the Ohio congressional delegation, the Department of Health and Human Resources and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are sending a team of doctors and toxicologists to conduct public fitness tests and assessments.
Federal, state and local government teams will already be on the floor to test other people who have been or may have been exposed to chemicals, officials said.
Senior management officials have pledged to hold Norfolk Southern accountable. The company will have to pay for the cleanup of the spill and the federal Superfund law to clean up poisonous sites, a senior management official said.
But the White House insisted that the culprits in a media call not be identified.
Since the derailment, citizens have complained of headaches and eye inflammation and discovered that their cars and gardens were covered in soot. animals
Residents are also frustrated by what they say is incomplete and data on the lasting effects of the disaster, which has led to evacuations.
Regan said Thursday that anyone who is afraid to be home gets tested through the government.
“People were,” he said. They were asked to leave their homes. He said that if he lived there, he would be willing to bring his circle of relatives back to the domain as long as the tests showed that he was safe.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va. , said he was pleased Regan visited the site, but that it was “unacceptable that it took only about two weeks for a senior management official to show up” in Ohio.
He suggested Biden, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other officials provide a complete picture of the damage caused and that “a comprehensive plan for the network be supported in the coming weeks, months and years. “
“It’s already a long time to take over,” Manchin said.
Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, who shared the video with Regan on Thursday, sent a letter Friday asking the EPA to provide detailed data on the federal government’s reaction to the derailment, adding to the controlled burning last week and reviewing plans for air and water quality. .
“The network wants to make sure that air, water and soil don’t pose a risk to your fitness after this derailment,” Johnson said.
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