A little over two years ago, the small town of East Palestine, Ohio, suffered one of the worst environmental disasters in recent history when a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed, spilling hazardous chemicals. Like most things that occurred during the Biden administration, a proper cleanup and investigation into exactly how the derailment happened and why were way over the administration's head. Now, however, there may finally be some substantive help on the way for a community that has never quite been the same since the accident, and with the right people in charge, they will get the answers they deserve.

On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance announced a new investigation into the 2023 derailment that would also include Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya. Vance took to X to announce the investigation, saying:

“We’re finally going to study the effects of these chemicals and finally get to the bottom of what effect this terrible train crash and the ensuing consequences had on the people of East Palestine."

READ MORE: 'We're in It for the Long Haul': JD Vance in East Palestine Marks 2-Year Anniversary of Derailment

In the X video, Kennedy added that the NIH would begin “a five-year, $10 million research initiative to address health outcomes stemming from this calamity...I want to thank Vice President Vance for not forgetting about the people of East Palestine." The initiative will include epidemiological research, public health tracking, and monitoring of the health of East Palestine residents.

Vance also had some harsh words for Joe Biden and his administration, saying,

“As much as I tried as a United States Senator to work with the Biden administration, they refused to do anything to actually study the effects of these long term exposures on the people of East Palestine."

When the train derailed on February 3, 2023, it was hauling a variety of hazardous chemicals, including vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylene glycol, and benzine residue. After the accident, unnamed authorities conducted a controlled burn of the highly toxic vinyl chloride, citing the potential of an enormous explosion. That controlled burn released fumes from the chemicals into the air. It was later learned, however, through the testimony in a 2024 Senate hearing with then-Senator Vance of a now former National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chairwoman, that the burn was unnecessary. At the time, Vance stated that:

“This town very well may have been poisoned to facilitate the rapid movement of freight, or at the very least, it was poisoned for reasons that we can’t identify."

The people of East Palestine got the shaft from the Biden administration almost from the minute the derailment occurred. Almost immediately, they described suffering from nosebleeds, skin and eye irritations, and breathing difficulties. They also described dead fish in nearby creeks, an oily sheen on the water, and a smell of burning chemicals. A year after the accident, residents said they were still unable to drink the tap water because of contamination.

ALSO READ: Tucker Interviews Residents of East Palestine on Scary Toxic Effects, No Fed Response

It took Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg three weeks to show up at the disaster site wearing a safety helmet and vest, as if he was going to actually do something to help. He stated that he had not shown up sooner because he wanted to “strike the right balance” in the timing of his visit. But apparently, the right balance was the day after Donald Trump showed up with pallets of drinking water and bought lunch for first responders at a local McDonald's. Joe Biden also visited East Palestine...a year later.

After years of mishandling and outright ignoring of the disaster by the Biden administration, thanks to the Trump administration, the residents of East Palestine may finally find out what the long-term effects on their community will be. 

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