Biden’s EPA admin to return to East Palestine, announce new safety measures after toxic train derailment

EPA administrator Michael S. Regan will be returning to East Palestine, Ohio, Tuesday to provide an update on the administration’s ongoing efforts to address the fiery train derailment that released toxic chemicals and left surrounding communities worried about their health. 

Regan visited the area last week to assess the impact of the Norfolk Southern train derailment and assured residents that robust testing had shown that the area was safe. 

FILE: Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan speaks in Jackson, Miss., on Sept. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Regan will again meet with local, state, and federal leaders and provide an update on the Federal government’s response. He is also expected to announce additional measures to ensure the health and safety of the community and hold Norfolk Southern accountable. 

Regan will be joined by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, GOP Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio, and EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore. The press conference is expected to begin at 12:30 p.m. ET. 

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Over the weekend, Norfolk Southern launched “NSMakingItRight.com” as a resource for East Palestine community members. The website includes updates on clean-up efforts and services at the Family Assistance Center (FAC), among other resources. 

Norfolk said around 15,000 tons of contaminated soil and more than 1 million gallons of contaminated water have already been excavated from the derailment site. 

This video screenshot released by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows the site of a derailed freight train in East Palestine, Ohio, the United States.  (NTSB/Handout via Xinhua via Getty Images)

Tuesday’s anticipated update comes after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sent the freight rail company a letter on Sunday demanding that it “demonstrate unequivocal support for the people” of East Palestine, Ohio, and surrounding areas after the train derailment. 

“Norfolk Southern must live up to its commitment to make residents whole — and must also live up to its obligation to do whatever it takes to stop putting communities such as East Palestine at risk,” Buttigieg wrote. “This is the right time for Norfolk Southern to take a leadership position within the rail industry, shifting to a posture that focuses on supporting, not thwarting, efforts to raise the standard of U.S. rail safety regulation.”

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Despite the government’s assurances that the community is safe, residents have complained of constant headaches and irritated eyes. The state plans to open a medical clinic in the village of 4,700 to analyze their symptoms, despite repeated statements that air and water testing has shown no signs of contaminants.

Still, uncertainty persists about the consequences of a derailment that occurred roughly two weeks ago.

Peter DeCarlo, a professor of environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins University, told ABC News on Sunday that more testing is needed to determine which chemicals are present.

FILE: A clean-up crew works alongside a stream as clean-up efforts continue on February 16, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio. On February 3rd, a Norfolk Southern Railways train carrying toxic chemicals derailed causing an environmental disaster.  (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)

“We just don’t have the information we need to understand what chemicals may be present,” DeCarlo said. “We know it started as vinyl chloride, but as soon as you burn that all bets are off. You have a lot of chemical byproducts that can happen from a combustion process like that.”

Asked if he would move back to East Palestine if he were already living there, DeCarlo said: “I have two little boys. I would not.”

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Buttigieg said the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the derailment and that the Federal Railroad Administration is also analyzing whether safety violations occurred and will hold Norfolk Southern accountable if violations did occur.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.