East Palestine Archives - The Michigan Star

Chemical Pollution from East Palestine Train Wreck Blanketed Third of the Country, Study Reveals

June 20, 2024 Michigan Star Staff

Chemical pollution emitting from the East Palestine, Ohio, train crash in 2023 rained down on 16 different states, according to a study released on Wednesday.

A Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed and crashed in East Palestine in February 2023, sending plumes of black smoke rising over Ohio and Pennsylvania. The smoke carried the chemicals and polluted 16 states, spreading over roughly 540,000 square miles of land, according to a new study published in Environmental Research Letters.

Commentary: The Left’s War on Mobility Is Making the Holidays Miserable, But It Has Far More Sinister Motives

December 19, 2023 Michigan Star Staff

Never before has so much ‘infrastructure’ been funded and so little built.

Unless, that is, you label Pete Buttegieg’s ‘paternity’ leave as ‘human infrastructure.’ Which, by the way, is exactly what the Biden administration did with its trillion dollar infrastructure boondoggle in 2021.

‘He Has Already Insulted Us’: East Palestine Residents React to Biden Vacations Seven Months After Derailment

September 5, 2023September 5, 2023 Michigan Star Staff

Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, blasted President Joe Biden Monday for not visiting the location of a February train derailment, saying he “insulted” them by claiming on Saturday that he was too busy to visit the town.

Biden said on Saturday while viewing storm damage in Florida following Hurricane Idalia that he had wanted to go to East Palestine, but that a busy schedule prevented him from doing so, Fox News reported. “At this point, I don’t even care if Biden comes, he has already insulted us,” East Palestine resident Jamie Wallace told “Fox and Friends” guest host Nicole Saphier.

CDC Investigators Got Sick While Probing Ohio Toxic Train Derailment

April 1, 2023 Michigan Star Staff

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials investigating potential health impacts in a small Ohio town impacted by a toxic train derailment became ill during their study, CNN reported.

Seven CDC members reported sore throats, headaches, coughing and nausea while in East Palestine, Ohio, weeks after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in early February and a controlled burn leaked hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride, into the environment, the CDC told CNN on Thursday. The CDC members’ symptoms are consistent with health complaints reported by residents and first responders.

Republican National Committee Criticizes President’s Biden Weekend Trip to Delaware amid East Palestine Train Derailment Disaster

March 4, 2023 Kaitlin Housler

President Joe Biden departed the White House Friday en route to Delaware for the 66th time since taking office this weekend, which drew criticism from the Republican National Committee (RNC). According to the RNC, Biden has spent approximately 40 percent of his presidency “on vacation,” with this weekend marking his 306th, 307th, and 308th total vacation days. Of that 40 percent, the RNC noted that Biden has spent 55 of 110 weekends in Delaware.

Commentary: Amtrak Joe Fails on Rail Issues

March 4, 2023 Michigan Star Staff

The ongoing health and environmental disaster unfolding in East Palestine, OH is another example of abdicated leadership by the Biden Administration on critical issues facing America’s railways. Fumbled labor negotiations precipitating the near miss of a nationwide rail strike that would have brought the transport of 19.3 billion tons of annual goods to a standstill, on top of ongoing supply chain snarls which contribute to the freight rates spiking as much as 37% year over year are two such examples. All Americans are suffering the consequences of their failing choices. Leadership is desperately needed.

Economists: Railroad Derailments Highlight Necessity of Line 5

February 28, 2023February 27, 2023 Admin

As two train derailments – one in Ohio and one in Michigan – remain national news, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel continue their crusade to shut down the Line 5 pipeline.

If successful in their efforts, moving the petroleum products would transition from pipelines to tanker truck and rail transportation, according to experts interviewed by The Center Square. This transition would likely drive up prices for consumers, increase carbon emissions, and prove less safe, they say.

Texas, Michigan Officials Say They Weren’t Warned Before Receiving Contaminated Ohio Soil, Water

February 26, 2023 Just the News

Officials in Texas and Michigan said they were not informed before their states received shipments of contaminated water and soil from East Palestine, Ohio, where a train derailed with toxic chemicals and caused a public health and environmental crisis earlier this month.

Train Company Hit with Class Action Lawsuit After Toxic Derailment in Ohio

February 25, 2023February 25, 2023 Admin

Ohio residents filed a class action lawsuit on Thursday against the railroad company Norfolk Southern after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in early February and cast a toxic plume of chemicals over the town and polluted the air and water, according to the lawsuit’s text. Johnson and Johnson, a Youngstown, Ohio, based firm and Hagens Berman represent residents within a 30 mile radius of the East Palestine crash site, according to the lawsuit’s text. Residents reported various health concerns including headaches and rashes and worry about the long-term impact that the derailment could have on the community.

Commentary: Ohio Train Derailment Shows We Need an America First Infrastructure Policy Now More than Ever

February 25, 2023 Admin

After the massive train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, our nation’s infrastructure issues are now top of mind for many American citizens. While East Palestine experienced a landmark environmental disaster after nearly 50 train cars were derailed, Biden administration officials remained silent for weeks. The derailment demonstrated a fact that is all too apparent in recent months: America’s infrastructure is being neglected, and the Biden administration’s policies are not the answer to the problems we face.

Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Blasts DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg for ‘Tokenizing’ People of Ohio

February 24, 2023 M.D. Kittle

Ohio resident and newly announced Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy at a campaign stop in Iowa criticized President Joe Biden’s transportation chief for “leadership from behind.” “It’s sort of a token gesture, sort of a cascade of tokenism,” Ramaswamy told The Iowa Star at a campaign stop Thursday in Ankeny.

Pennsylvania Residents Speak to State Senate About Ill Effects of Train Burn

February 23, 2023 Neil Jones

Western Pennsylvanians who live near the site of the February 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment and subsequent burn went before a State Senate Committee Thursday to state that the event is causing deleterious health consequences. The 53-car train derailed in the village of East Palestine, Ohio, less than a mile from where the Buckeye State abuts Beaver County in Pennsylvania. In the crash’s aftermath, the train company proceeded to burn five rail cars containing vinyl chloride, a course of action company officials said would avert a potentially disastrous explosion. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D) initially supported what has been called the “controlled burn” but has subsequently blasted Norfolk Southern for its handling of the incident, particularly its decision to burn five cars; Shapiro asserted he was only told one car would be incinerated.

EPA Takes over Management of Ohio Train Accident, Orders Railway to Clean Up Toxic Spill

February 21, 2023 Just the News

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday announced that it would be seizing oversight of the ongoing Ohio train derailment disaster, ordering the company behind the incident to submit to an EPA-approved cleanup plan as part of its management of the crisis. The EPA said in a press release that it would “approve a workplan outlining all steps necessary to clean up the environmental damage caused by the derailment.”

Trump Blasts Biden for Choosing Ukraine on President’s Day Over Ohio: ‘They Were Abandoned’

February 20, 2023 Just the News

Former President Donald Trump on Monday blasted Joe Biden for spending President’s Day with Ukrainians rather than the victims of a devastating train wreck in Ohio, suggesting it sent a powerful message of neglect to voters in a key election battleground state.

Trump to Visit Ohio Town After Toxic Train Derailment

February 18, 2023February 18, 2023 Admin

Former President Donald Trump will visit East Palestine, Ohio, on Wednesday after a train derailment caused a toxic chemical plume to pollute the town, a source familiar with the plan told Fox News. Trump will visit with members of the community who are dealing with the aftermath of a Norfolk Southern train derailment that occurred earlier this month, the source told Fox News. The derailment led to the evacuation of nearly 2,000 residents before a controlled release was performed to prevent an explosion, which subsequently released a hazardous mixture of chemicals into the air and water.