President Biden to visit East Palestine one year after fiery train derailment
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EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (WCMH) – President Joe Biden will visit the site of the Norfolk Southern train derailment that occurred nearly one year ago.
According to a release from The White House, Biden will meet with residents who were impacted by the derailment, local and state leaders, and assess progress made in the rebuilding efforts.
It marks Biden’s first visit to the area after a state of emergency was declared on Feb. 3, 2023 when a Norfolk Southern train derailed off the tracks about one quarter of a mile west of the Ohio and Pennsylvania state border. The derailment caused a fiery explosion, a controlled release of chemicals and a mandatory evacuation, which displaced thousands of residents for at least a week.
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Courtesy of Charity and William Peters
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In this photo provided by Melissa Smith, a train fire is seen from her farm in East Palestine, Ohio, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. A train derailment and resulting large fire prompted an evacuation order in the Ohio village near the Pennsylvania state line on Friday night, covering the area in billows of smoke lit orange by the flames below. (Melissa Smith via AP)
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Courtesy of Justin Meek
In this photo provided by Melissa Smith, a train fire is seen from her farm in East Palestine, Ohio, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. A train derailment and resulting large fire prompted an evacuation order in the Ohio village near the Pennsylvania state line on Friday night, covering the area in billows of smoke lit orange by the flames below. (Melissa Smith via AP)
A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
FILE – A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains, on Feb. 6, 2023. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw is set to testify before an Ohio Senate rail safety panel on Tuesday, April 18, more than two months after the fiery train derailment rocked the village of East Palestine. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
FILE – Portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed the night before burn in East Palestine, Ohio, Feb. 4, 2023. Norfolk Southern railroad announced on Tuesday, Dec. 4, plans to stop paying relocation aid to people displaced by the derailment right after the one-year anniversary of the crash. Railroad officials reiterated their long-term commitment to helping the town of East Palestine and the surrounding area recover. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
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FILE – Cleanup continues, Feb. 24, 2023, at the site of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment that happened on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio. The costs related to the East Palestine derailment continue to grow to reach $966 million for Norfolk Southern, but the railroad’s service is improving and its insurance companies have started to pay their share of the cost of the crash in eastern Ohio early this year. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, File)
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine meets with reporters after touring the Norfolk Southern train derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
A cleanup worker stands on a derailed tank car as the cleanup of portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed over a week ago in East Palestine, Ohio, continues, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Cleanup continues in a stream in East Palestine Park in East Palestine, Ohio, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. Residents of the Ohio village upended by a freight train derailment are demanding to know if they’re safe from the toxic chemicals that spilled or were burned off to avoid an even bigger disaster. (Lucy Schaly/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
Booms are placed in a stream that flows through the center of East Palestine, Ohio, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, as cleanup continues following the derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train over a week ago. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Courtesy: NTSB
A warning sign is posted near a stream in East Palestine Park in East Palestine, Ohio on Thursday, June 22, 2023. An investigative hearing is being held by the National Transportation and Safety Board in East Palestine over two days, to investigate the Feb. 3, 2023, Norfolk Southern Railway train derailment and subsequent hazardous material release and fires. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
In September, Biden issued an executive order directing that Norfolk Southern continue to be held accountable for the derailment and address any long-term effects to the community, and ensuring Federal assistance is available to affected communities should needs develop that are not met by Norfolk Southern.
“The Administration will continue to support the people of East Palestine and other affected communities for as long as it takes, including by using every available tool to hold Norfolk Southern accountable,” the release stated.
Biden has also previously called on Congress to pass the Bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023, led by Ohio Senators Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance, which sets a minimum crew size of two and requires railroads to increase safety monitoring along the tracks, especially in cities. It also imposes stiffer penalties for safety violations.
The White House has not yet released the date of President Biden’s visit.
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