In Town of Toxic Derailment, Sen. Vance Has Questions for Railroad, Feds

Says Norfolk Southern resumed traffic too fast, should do more to clean up contaminated soil

JD Vance (R-Ohio), who was then senator-elect, arrives at a meeting with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Nov. 16, 2022. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Speaking from East Palestine, Ohio, site of the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern Railway train and subsequent deliberate burn of freight cars containing toxic chemicals, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) questioned Norfolk Southern’s actions and the responsiveness of federal authorities.

Vance’s Feb. 16 visit comes as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has informed Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine that his state “is not eligible for assistance at this time,” according to a statement on the governor’s website from earlier today.