EPA Administrator Admits There Is a ‘Deficit of Trust’ in Toxic Train Derailment Response

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan speaks during a press conference in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 16, 2023. REUTERS/Alan Freed

Recognizing “there has been a deficit of trust” in the federal government among East Palestine residents in the aftermath of the Feb. 3 toxic train derailment, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan returned to the eastern Ohio village on Feb. 28.

Regan attended a roundtable with students and teachers at East Palestine High School and talked to small business owners before holding a press conference to commemorate the opening of the EPA’s “Community Welcome Center.”