Tag: ohio train derailment

Ohio Senators Introduce Railway Safety Bill to Prevent Future Derailments

Sens. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) have announced new legislation to improve railway safety and prevent future derailments, like the one that recently devastated their constituents in East Palestine, Ohio. Co-sponsored by Sens. Bob Casey (D-Penn.), John Fetterman (D-Penn.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), the bipartisan bill (pdf) aims to enhance…


House Republicans Ramp Up Inquiries Into Federal Response to Ohio Derailment

House Republicans are pushing forward with several inquiries into the Biden administrations handling of the response to the Feb. 3 train derailment and subsequent chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) sent a letter (pdf) to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan on Feb. 27 to request information on the…


Senators Call For Health Monitoring of Residents Exposed to Ohio Toxic Train Crash

Ohio’s U.S. Senators J.D. Vance and Sherrod Brown teamed up to write a letter urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to immediately start health screenings for residents in the aftermath of the East Palestine toxic train derailment. After the Feb. 3 crash and subsequent fire, more than 4,700…


‘Unbelievable’: Youngkin Takes Aim at Biden’s Choice Not to Visit Ohio Derailment Site

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin expressed disbelief Sunday at President Joe Biden’s decision not to visit East Palestine, Ohio, where a Norfolk Southern train derailed on Feb. 3, leaking toxic chemicals into the ground, water, and air. In a Feb. 26 appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” Youngkin noted that, while the president visited Ukraine…


Ohio Sen. JD Vance Suggests PPP-Style Program for East Palestine Residents After Toxic Train Derailment

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) has proposed that a Paycheck Protection Program, also known as PPP, be rolled out for residents of East Palestine, Ohio following the recent train derailment and a wave of deindustrialization. In an op-ed for The Washington Post published on Feb. 26, the Republican senator noted that East Palestine is a small town of about 5,000…


‘Environmental Catastrophe’: Ohio Residents Launch Class Action Against Railroad Firm Over Derailment

Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, have filed a class action lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Corp., alleging that the railroad company’s “negligent actions” in the wake of a Feb. 3 derailment and chemical spill had created an “environmental catastrophe.” Noting that Norfolk Southern took two hours to file a report on the crash, Youngstown, Ohio, attorney…


EPA Orders Temporary Halt to Shipping of Ohio Toxic Train Crash Contaminated Waste

Amid objections from Michigan authorities who said they were not aware hazardous materials were headed into their state, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered a temporary pause on shipments of contaminated waste from the site of Norfolk Southern Railway’s Feb. 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. “Everyone wants this contamination gone from the…


Biden Declines to Visit Ohio Toxic Train Wreck Site, Orders Door-to-Door Checks Instead

President Joe Biden has ordered federal officials to do door-to-door checks on families in East Palestine, Ohio, but said he has no immediate plans to visit the village where a train derailed three weeks ago, spilling toxic chemicals. The White House said Biden has directed teams from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Environmental…


Mysterious White Dust Sweeps Across Parts of America

Parts of the mid-Atlantic United States are reportedly seeing mysterious white dust falling in the region, with officials testing samples of the dust to identify its origin. “Several reports of an unknown WHITE POWDER OR DUST SEDIMENT falling out of the sky throughout West Virginia and Maryland … Local fire departments suggesting people shut windows…


Officials Release Update on Wildlife Killed by Ohio Train Derailment

The number of wildlife estimated to have been killed in the wake of the Ohio train derailment is nearly 44,000, less than officials first thought, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Although dead animals remain in the affected waterways, ODNR Director Mary Mertz noted in an update Thursday that live fish have returned to…