A spokesperson for Ohio Governor Mike DeWine‘s office told The Ohio Star that DeWine is scheduled to visit East Palestine on Tuesday to provide an update on the cleanup following the catastrophic February 3rd train derailment that resulted in the controlled release and burn of noxious gasses creating an ecological disaster in the region.
His office also told The Star that DeWine will also talk about Tuesday’s Ohio Department of Health East Palestine clinic launch, which state authorities have indicated is open to locals with medical queries or concerns.
DeWine announced the clinic last week, stating that although tests indicate that the East Palestine municipal water supply and the air are both safe, the derailment and chemical burnoff from that train have been traumatizing events, and people are reporting headaches, rashes, and other illnesses in addition to their skepticism.
“We’re now bringing in medical people to talk to anybody who has a particular problem. So we’re doing absolutely everything that we can to assure residents about what the situation is,” DeWine said.
The governor said he is aware of the skepticism.
“Nothing wrong with healthy skepticism. But all I can do as governor of the state of Ohio is tell you, we have the best experts that we can get and we have the best equipment that there is available to do the testing. We believe the testing is accurate,” DeWine said.
Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who last week criticized Norfolk Southern Railway for their response to the event that occurred just across his state’s border, will be joining him Tuesday.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, Michael Regan, will also be present for his second trip to East Palestine in many weeks.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Gov Mike DeWine” by Mike DeWine and “East Palestine Train Derailment” by EPA / Michael Regan.
