Six months after a fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, left some residents concerned about contaminated air and water, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) renewed his criticism of how the Biden administration has responded to the tragedy.
Vance wrote in a Columbus Dispatch op-ed that President Joe Biden has “ignored Ohio’s pleas for help” after the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train led to the release of toxic vinyl chloride that was later burned.
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“Not only has Joe Biden refused to visit East Palestine, but he has also refused to grant critical assistance to the recovery effort,” Vance wrote, referencing that Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) requested a major disaster declaration from the president a couple of weeks ago. “This is inexcusable: a disaster declaration would guarantee the delivery of resources the community needs to save itself.”
Following a visit to East Palestine on Monday, the Ohio senator also criticized clean-up efforts overseen by officials with the Environmental Protection Agency, claiming that “thousands of tons of chemical soil remain in East Palestine.
“I’m growing angrier by the day as improvements are not made. No one can expect the people of East Palestine to return to normal until the hazardous waste in their backyard is gone for good,” Vance wrote.
Vance isn’t the only lawmaker urging the administration to do more. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is also pushing for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to respond to the state’s request to designate East Palestine a disaster. Last week, Brown sent a letter to Biden and to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, encouraging them to provide “more assistance.
“I also ask that the Administration provide a detailed list of all the actions taken and funding provided by the federal government in response to the Norfolk Southern derailment,” Brown wrote. “The people of East Palestine deserve to know what their federal government is doing to fight for them and hold Norfolk Southern accountable.”
Biden’s response to another disaster is also attracting growing criticism. For the second day in a row, the White House was questioned about the president's plan to take a vacation amid disastrous wildfires in Hawaii estimated to have killed at least 99 people.
Biden has no plans to visit the Hawaii disaster area but does plan to spend his second full week of August on vacation in Nevada. Unlike the situation in East Palestine, the Biden administration has requested $13 million in disaster relief for Hawaii after wildfires destroyed parts of Maui and completely wiped out the historic town of Lahaina.
In his op-ed, Vance also addressed his push to advance railway safety legislation in an effort to prevent another dangerous train derailment in the future. His bill, which would raise safety standards for rail companies and hike the maximum fines charged for infractions, has faced opposition from the business community.
Senate Republicans have largely joined that opposition, expressing concern that the bill would harm the transport of American energy and raise costs for consumers. Only one other Commerce Committee Republican supported the bill in a vote out of committee: Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO). Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) have expressed support for the bill, but senators who often participate in bipartisan legislation, such as Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Susan Collins (R-ME), have been noncommittal. While Vance has cobbled together some Republican support, it could still get filibustered on the floor without changes.
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“We have made significant progress, and I was glad to hear the Senate majority leader put this bill at the top of the docket for when the Senate returns from August recess,” he said. “However, too many colleagues in my party have continued to defend the railroad industry from reasonable, widely supported safety improvements that would have prevented this disaster in the first place.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has not taken a position on the legislation. When asked before the August recess about his stance on the bill, he said he had not made a decision and that he wasn’t “sure the majority leader made the decision to call it up.”