EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — 3News has learned that President Joe Biden will visit East Palestine in February one year after the toxic Ohio train derailment captured national attention.
A White House official says President Biden plans "to meet with residents impacted by the Norfolk Southern train derailment and assess the progress that his administration has helped deliver in coordination with state and local leaders to protect the community and hold Norfolk Southern accountable.”
The exact date of his visit has not yet been provided, but it will be his first time in East Palestine since the derailment happened last year on Feb. 3.
Biden will be accepting an invitation from the East Palestine mayor to see firsthand how the cleanup of spilled toxic chemicals and the recovery are coming along.
Mayor Trent Conaway, who said he is a conservative who does not support Biden, confirmed Wednesday in a telephone interview with the Associated Press that he extended the invitation to the Democratic president. Conaway said he invited Biden because he thinks the visit would be good for his community.
“I'm as red as they come. I'm as conservative as they come. Sometimes I have to do what's best for the people so, yes, that's why I invited him,” Conaway said to the AP.
Here's more from the White House regarding the train derailment:
"Under President Biden’s leadership, within hours of the derailment, the Environmental Protection Agency deployed a team of trained emergency response personnel to East Palestine to aid state and local emergency and environmental response efforts. The Department of Transportation also arrived on scene within hours to support the National Transportation Safety Board in their independent investigation of the derailment. The Department of Health and Human Services worked alongside state and local health departments to conduct public health testing and offer technical assistance. Throughout the response and recovery process, the Administration has continued to closely coordinate with the Ohio Governor, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Health and local partners, including the Village of East Palestine and Columbiana County.
"As President Biden has said from the beginning, the Administration will continue to support the people of East Palestine and other affected communities for as long as it takes, including by using every available tool to hold Norfolk Southern accountable. President Biden pledged he would make Norfolk Southern clean up its mess in East Palestine, and his Administration is delivering. Last February, EPA ordered Norfolk Southern to clean up all environmental damage caused by the derailment, including cleaning or disposing of contaminated soil and water, as well as reimbursing the Federal government’s response costs. In September, President Biden issued an Executive Order directing that Norfolk Southern continue to be held accountable for the derailment and address any long-term effects to the community, and ensuring Federal assistance is available to affected communities should needs develop that are not met by Norfolk Southern.
"At the same time, the Administration has taken action to improve rail safety and continues to call on Congress to do their part by passing the Bipartisan Railway Safety Act."
The Associated Press contributed to this story