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The
trail derailment in East Palestine prompted the evacuation of
thousands of people and ignited health concerns.
"I've spoken with every single major figure in both Pennsylvania
and Ohio. So the idea that we're not engaged is simply not
there," Biden told reporters on Friday.
Norfolk Southern Corp, the operator of the train, apologized on
Wednesday at a CNN town hall event that highlighted residents'
concerns about soil and ground water contamination.
The Biden administration has said Norfolk Southern must pay for
the damage and clean-up efforts. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency ordered company officials to attend town hall
events after executives failed to attend an earlier meeting in
East Palestine.
The derailment has sparked a political battle and a blame game
over railroad safety regulations, with residents voicing deep
concern over the long-term health impact of the millions of
pounds of carcinogenic chemicals spilled in their town.
Some Republicans have criticized the Biden administration over
the incident while some Democrats have pointed to regulations
rescinded under former President Donald Trump. Trump, who is
campaigning for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination,
visited the area on Wednesday.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg toured the wreckage on
Thursday after the Biden administration was criticized for not
sending a cabinet official to the site sooner.
The derailment might have been avoided if the railway company's
alarm system had given engineers an earlier warning that
bearings were overheating, the chair of the National
Transportation Safety Board said on Thursday with the release of
a preliminary investigation.
Earlier on Friday, the House of Representatives Oversight
Committee launched a probe into the derailment and sought
documents from the U.S. Transportation Department on their
response to the incident.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose; writing by Kanishka Singh; Editing
by Leslie Adler, Eric Beech and Diane Craft)
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