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Biden spoke last year after a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in northeastern Ohio on Feb. 3, sparking a massive fire that filled the region with a huge cloud of smoke and the smell of chemicals. , drew criticism for not visiting the town sooner. The accident caused the evacuation of hundreds of residents and raised public health concerns.
White House officials on Wednesday defended the Biden administration’s disaster response, noting that the Environmental Protection Agency sent emergency personnel to East Palestine within hours of the derailment. The Department of Transportation also arrived within hours to assist the National Transportation Safety Board with its investigation, the official said.
The official also said the Environmental Protection Agency has ordered Norfolk Southern to clean up any environmental damage caused by the derailment, including cleaning and disposing of contaminated soil and water, and to reimburse the federal government for response costs. also mentioned. Biden issued an executive order in September directing Norfolk Southern to continue to take responsibility for the derailment and address its long-term effects on the community, the official added.
Less than two weeks after the derailment, the EPA announced that the air in East Palestine was safe to breathe, and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said Biden had offered to help. He said he “doesn’t see” a need for more federal aid. However, environmentalists and residents questioned this response and remained concerned about the safety of the town’s water and soil after the disaster.
Biden said last March that he would visit East Palestine “at some point.” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and EPA Administrator Michael Regan were in town weeks after the derailment, as was former President Donald Trump, who spoke at the scene and criticized the Biden administration’s response.
Mr Trump, who is running for re-election, said in a post on his social media networks on Wednesday that Mr Biden’s visit to East Palestine would be “a year overdue”.
“I know these great people. I was there when it mattered. His reception could not have been warmer,” Trump wrote.
Justine McDaniel contributed to this report.
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