The cleanup of portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed on Feb. 3, in East Palestine, Ohio, continues on Feb. 9, 2023. (Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo)
The two senators from Ohio spoke out on Monday calling attention to the environmental impacts in East Palestine, following the derailment of a freight train carrying chemicals earlier this month.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) said in a statement that he is “horrified” by the train derailment and said that many questions remain unanswered.
“Is the air and water safe for residents?” Vance asked. “I have heard alarming anecdotes about contaminated waterways and effects on wildlife. I encourage anyone with credible reports of environmental harms to contact my office.”
“I am dedicated to ensuring that the relevant authorities do not use tests conducted as a permission slip to pack up and go home,” Vance added. “This is a complex environmental disaster with impacts that may be difficult to assess in the short term. Long-term study will be imperative.”
J.D. 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)
The train derailed in East Palestine on Feb. 3, while traveling from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania. The train was carrying a variety of products, including highly toxic vinyl chloride and other hazardous materials.
To avoid a potential explosion, Norfolk Southern, the company whose train derailed, conducted a “controlled release” of the chemicals on Feb. 6, which involved burning the chemicals and releasing fumes into the air.
Before the controlled burn, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro ordered the evacuation of a one-mile by -two-mile zone surrounding East Palestine, which included parts of the two states. Evacuated residents were told to begin returning home on Feb. 8.
Investigators have said the derailment was caused by a broken axle.
There have also been reports that animals are falling sick or dying near the derailment site.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) took to Twitter to call on the Environmental Protect Agency (EPA) and Ohio EPA to do “full safety testing.”
“Hundreds of families in East Palestine were forced to face the horror of fleeing their homes because of hazardous materials in their community,” Brown wrote.
“@OhioEPA tells my office that 431 homes in East Palestine have requested testing for air quality and 47 tests are complete with no issues reported,” Brown wrote in a separate tweet. “They planned to increase the number of testing teams today from 4 to 8. That’s promising, but much more testing will be needed.”
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), delivers remarks during a hearing on Russian sanctions on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 20, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The EPA announced on Feb. 12 that air monitoring throughout East Palestine “has not detected any levels of concern in the community that can be attributed to the incident at this time.”
Buttigieg
Several lawmakers called out Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Monday over the train derailment.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who sits on the House Oversight Committee, issued a statement demanding accountability and answers for derailment.
“Time to call in Pete Buttigieg for questioning about what is happening to the great people of Palestine, Ohio after the horrific train derailment and planned toxic chemical spill!” Luna wrote. “The media won’t talk about this ecological disaster–not to mention public safety and health crisis–but I will, and we will get answers.
“The people of Palestine, Ohio are in danger and being kept in the dark about what’s happening. We need answers and must fix this!”
Another House Oversight Committee member, Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), named both Buttigieg and President Joe Biden in a tweet.
“Where is the leadership from Biden and Buttigieg?” Burlison wrote. “This is a massive disaster with dangerous consequences, not some small incident.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) wrote on Twitter that the railroad derailment “will have a significant negative impact on the health and wellbeing of the residents for decades.”
“We need Congressional inquiry and direct action from @PeteButtigieg to address this tragedy,” Omar added.
Secretary of the Department of Transportation Pete Buttigieg delivers remarks on new transportation initiatives at an event in the South Court Auditorium at Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington on March 7, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
On Monday, Buttigieg drew criticism for not commenting on the incident during an appearance at the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference in Washington. However, he did bring out the safety risks of “balloons,” to laughter from the audience.
“He jokes about balloons while ignoring East Palestine, OH,” posted former Ohio state senator Nina Turner, who lost to now-Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) in the Democratic primary for Ohio’s 11th Congressional District in May 2022.
Turner added, “We deserve better than this.”
In his statement, Vance also pointed out that “there is a troubling trend of catastrophic infrastructure problems in our country.”
“After the cleanup and safety of everyone is ensured, we will turn our attention to how to prevent this in the future,” Vance wrote. “Many questions remain unanswered about the quality of the braking system used, the durability of the repair parts in the trains, and the Transportation Department’s regulatory approach to our nation’s rail system.”
Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers U.S., China, and Taiwan news. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan.
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