EPA chief vows to ‘get to the bottom’ of derailment in first East Palestine visit

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan, visiting East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday, vowed to “get to the bottom of” the Feb. 3 train derailment in the town and to continually monitor the area for potential health hazards.

“The community has questions and we hear you, we see you and … we will get to the bottom of this. Anything the state needs, we will be here to help,” Regan said in a press conference. “We are going to get through this as a team, we are absolutely going to hold Norfolk Southern [Railway] accountable.”

The EPA head went on to say the federal agency’s air monitoring efforts have not detected anything to prompt health concerns in the area thus far. Of more than 480 voluntary home screenings, he said, the EPA has not detected vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride in any of them.

However, the administrator echoed comments he made on CNN Wednesday recommending continual use of bottled water, although the state announced no contamination had been detected in municipal wells serving the town.

Asked if he would advise residents return to their homes, Regan told an attendee that he trusts the state’s methodology but would advise anyone whose home has not undergone testing to seek it out, as well as for any homes relying on private well water.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) added that “everybody” should request air quality testing before reentering their homes, and vowed to ensure Norfolk Southern pays for the cost of not only testing, but also expenses such as hotels for residents forced to evacuate their homes.

“You can’t stay in a hotel for a week without spending a lot of out-of-pocket money,” he added.

Brown also said that while it remains unclear what compensation Norfolk Southern will agree to, they have not asked residents to waive their right to sue.

“In the end, the important thing to me is that we hold Norfolk Southern accountable,” he said. “That means accountable for the tests for people to move back in, accountable for all the cleanup that will take weeks, at least weeks, to assure residents that the water is safe.”

Brown’s colleague, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), who was not present but was also in East Palestine Thursday, made similar remarks to WKYC Channel 3.

Reached for comment, a spokesperson for Norfolk Southern said the company is already compensating residents for lodging and testing.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) released a statement criticizing Regan for visiting the town two weeks after the derailment, saying, “While I am glad EPA Administrator Regan will visit the site today, it is unacceptable that it took nearly two weeks for a senior Administration official to show up.”