Joe Biden Says 'No' Plan to Visit Ohio Train Derailment Site Even After Donald Trump's Tour

President Joe Biden has announced that he has no immediate plans to visit the site of the Ohio train derailment, which prompted the evacuation of thousands of people and sparked health concerns.

The trail derailment near East Palestine on February 3 released highly toxic chemicals into the air, water, and ground, causing residents to worry about environmental and health impacts.

On Friday, Biden said "no" when reporters asked him if he had plans to visit East Palestine. He then defended his administration's response to the incident.

The president said he spoke to "every single major figure" in Ohio and Pennsylvania, so "the idea that we're not engaged is simply not there," Reuters reported.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited East Palestine on Thursday to see the wreckage at the site amid growing criticism over the government's "little, too late" response to the derailment, which Donald Trump criticized during his tour of the area on Wednesday.

The Biden administration has defended its response to the incident in Ohio town, saying officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and other involved agencies were at the rural site within hours of the train derailment, KCRA reported.

Aside from a political battle, the Ohio train derailment has also ignited a blame game over railroad safety regulations. Some Republicans have scrutinized the administration's way of addressing the matter, while some Democrats have pinned the blame on the GOP for rescinding regulations under Trump White House.

Donald Trump Visits Ohio Train Derailment Site

Donald Trump met with East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway during his visit. Donald Trump, Jr., Ohio Republican Senator J.D. Vance, and Rep. Bill Johnson joined the former president.

In his speech, Trump said the East Palestine community needs "answers and results," not excuses. He went on to say that the "goodness" and "perseverance" of the town residents were met with "indifference and betrayal."

Buttigieg seemed to take a jab at Trump as he suggested that the former president's trip to Ohio was just a photo-op as part of his 2024 campaign.

He told Good Morning America that "there's two kinds of people who show up when you have that kind of disaster experience - people who are there because they have a specific job to do and are there to get something done and people who are there to look good and have their picture taken."

The Transportation secretary also told CBS that the Trump administration was "anti-regulation" and "pro-industry." During his visit at the Ohio train derailment site, Trump distributed Trump-branded water bottles and cleaning supplies.

Ohio Train Derailment

Texas A&M researchers and Carnegie Mellon noted that nine of the around 50 chemicals that the EPA said were present on the derailed train have higher concentrations than normal in East Palestine, The Daily Wire reported.

Chemicals found to be at above-normal levels include acrolein, benzene, naphthalene, and vinyl chloride. The research analysis said there might be health concerns if these levels of the chemicals continue. An NTSB interim report released on February 3 noted a suspected overheated wheel bearing has been gathered and will be examined by engineers.

The interim report also said the tank cars are being decontaminated, adding that NTSB investigators will complete a thorough examination of the tank cars once the decontamination process is completed.

The agency noted in its initial report that its investigators continue to review documentation, record data, and perform interviews. According to The New York Times, the EPA discovered that around 20 rail cars have been carrying hazardous materials.

In a statement, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said earlier this week that rail company Norfolk Southern will pay for cleaning up "the mess they created" and the trauma they inflicted on the community.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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