Washington, D.C. — Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy Rodgers (R-WA) and Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee Chair Bill Johnson (R-OH) sent a letter today to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requesting information about the federal government’s response to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. 

“Helping the people who live and work in East Palestine and the surrounding region is our top priority. The community must be able to trust their air, water, and soil is not a threat to their health following this train derailment,” said Rodgers and Johnson. “Today, we are asking Administrator Regan to provide information to our Committee regarding the EPA’s overall response, the controlled burn of some of the rail cars, and its testing plan to ensure people are kept safe.” 

Chair Rodgers and Subcommittee Chair Johnson are asking EPA to provide: 

• A timeline of all the events related to the train’s derailment in East Palestine, including releases of any chemical substances caused by the accident, response actions taken to address various hazards presented by the derailment, testing of air, water, or soil for contamination related to derailment. 
• Details for all the chemical substances that were being transported on the train and their quantities. 
• Who is overseeing this response and the details of EPA’s work with other Federal, state, and local officials, as well as any non-government entities. 
• All the parties – and their jurisdiction – that the EPA has been coordinating with in responding to the derailment, in containing any pollutants, or in testing or monitoring pollutants in the environment.  
• Any information that EPA has regarding the “controlled burn,” including the reasons for that action, who made the decision to take that action, and any resulting environmental impacts from that “controlled burn,” such as airborne emissions. 
• The results of environmental testing in the area and any detections above threshold levels. 
• Information on efforts being undertaken by Federal, State, or local officials to help residents of the affected community understand the risks currently present to them so they are comfortable making decisions about returning to their homes. 

CLICK HERE to read the full letter and complete list of information the members are requesting from the EPA.