Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee Chair Bill Johnson (R-OH) today announced the witnesses for a subcommittee hearing to address the environmental response to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The hearing is titled “Government Response to East Palestine: Ensuring Safety and Transparency for the Community.” 

Rodgers and Johnson released the following statement: 

“The people living in East Palestine and its surrounding areas deserve transparency regarding the recent train derailment that’s upended so many lives. It’s critical that they hear from the government officials charged with responding to the incident in order to ensure the health and safety of that community. We look forward to beginning those conversations at our Energy and Commerce hearing next week. This is the first step in the committee’s ongoing efforts to bring transparency to these communities so they can trust that the air, water, and soil surrounding their homes is not a threat to their health.” 

Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials hearing titled: “Government Response to East Palestine: Ensuring Safety and Transparency for the Community” 

WHAT: Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee hearing on the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and the response efforts to date. 

DATE: Tuesday, March 28, 2023      

TIME: 10:00 AM ET    

LOCATION: 2123 Rayburn House Office Building     

WITNESSES: 

• Debra Shore, Regional Administrator, Region 5, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
• Anne M. Vogel, Director, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency 
• Wesley Vins, Health Commissioner, Columbiana County General Health District 

This notice is at the direction of the Chair. The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be live streamed online at https://energycommerce.house.gov/. If you have any questions concerning the hearing, please contact Kaitlyn Peterson at Kaitlyn.Peterson@mail.house.gov.