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Biden Says He Won't Visit Ohio Despite Outrage Over Federal Response to Toxic Spill

© AP Photo / Matt FreedA view of the scene Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, as the cleanup continues at the site of of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment that happened on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio
A view of the scene Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, as the cleanup continues at the site of of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment that happened on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio - Sputnik International, 1920, 25.02.2023
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The Biden administration is under fire over its response to the February 3rd Ohio train wreck, with some Republicans berating POTUS for making a surprise visit to Ukraine on Monday rather than travelling to the site of the derailment in the town of East Palestine.
US President Joe Biden has said "at this moment" he doesn’t plan to visit the site of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which occurred in early February and resulted in a spill of toxic chemicals across the area.
"The answer is that I had a long meeting with my team and what they're doing. You know, we were there within two hours that the train went down, two hours," he added.
The 46th president also said that he had directed federal agencies to go door-to-door in East Palestine to check on families affected by the train derailment.
Under Biden’s order, the so-called "walk teams" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency will visit homes in East Palestine to ask how residents are doing, see what they need and connect them with appropriate resources.
This followed Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), telling reporters that the agency’s report found that the Ohio train derailment might have been avoided if crews had been given an earlier warning that the axle bearing was overheated, and that the wreck was "100% preventable."
"We call things accidents – there is no accident. Every single event that we investigate is preventable," she pointed out.
The remarks came after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg toured the site of the wreckage on Thursday after the Biden administration was slammed for their response. Some GOP members chastised POTUS for making a surprise visit to Kiev earlier this week instead of sending a cabinet official or making a trip himself to the East Palestine site as soon as possible.
Buttigieg visited the town following a trip by former US President Donald Trump to the community on Wednesday. During his visit, Trump said it was "terrible" for Biden not to visit East Palestine himself in the wake of the disaster.
POTUS, for his part, said in a tweet on Tuesday that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had ordered rail operator, Norfolk Southern, to clean up and dispose of hazardous materials in East Palestine.
"This is common sense. This is their mess. They should clean it up," he tweeted on Tuesday, adding that the Department of Transportation had made it clear to rail companies that their pattern of "resisting safety regulations" has got to change.
ONG 52nd Civil Support Team members prepare to enter an incident area - Sputnik International, 1920, 20.02.2023
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Weeks Later, Still No Answers: Toxic Train Derailment in Ohio
On February 3, a Norfolk Southern train hauling 20 cars with hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine. A massive fire erupted due to the wreck, prompting officials to burn vinyl chloride inside five of the tanker cars to avoid a catastrophic explosion. The accident released toxic chemicals, including hydrogen chloride, phosgene, butyl acrylate, and ethylene, into the environment.
Despite the authorities’ repeated assurances that the air and water are safe, local activists told Sputnik of recent health impacts, including headaches, burning skin, and irritated eyes, as well as concerns over long-term health risks. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has meanwhile said almost 44,000 aquatic creatures had died in waterways near the wreckage site.
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