Vice President JD Vance and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin have formally asked the agency's acting inspector general to launch an independent investigation into the federal government's response to the February 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which released toxic chemicals into the community.
In a joint letter sent Friday to EPA Acting Inspector General Nicole Murley, the two Trump administration officials called for a “comprehensive, independent” review of the Biden administration's actions during the disaster, citing concerns about transparency and public health risks.
The request comes on the heels of a watchdog report released this week by the Government Accountability Project, which found that the chemical spill and subsequent controlled burn may have endangered thousands of Americans. The group's initial assessment suggests that federal modeling indicated a significant number of people could have been exposed to dangerous substances.
“For over three years, the people of East Palestine and surrounding communities have lived with the aftermath of the critical decisions of the Biden-Harris Administration and Norfolk Southern,” Vance and Zeldin wrote. They added that the response, including the controlled release and combustion of hazardous materials, environmental contamination, and ongoing concerns about air, soil, water, and public health, “warrant continued scrutiny and oversight to ensure appropriate accountability and inform future actions.”
According to documents obtained by the Government Accountability Project, the Federal Interagency Modeling Atmospheric Assessment Center (IMAAC) projected that around 18,000 people may have been exposed to toxic substances at levels that could result in severe injury. Specifically, the model estimated that 17,972 individuals faced potential phosgene exposure and 312 may have been exposed to hydrogen chloride.
In the weeks after the derailment, a chemical plume from the controlled burn of spilled chemicals spread across 16 states, according to researchers. Phosgene, a chemical used in pesticides and plastics, can cause breathing difficulties, headaches, blurred vision, and other health issues, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hydrogen chloride, which forms hydrochloric acid when mixed with water, is corrosive and can lead to respiratory problems and burns to the eyes and skin.
Vance and Zeldin indicated that the identified shortcomings could lead to changes in emergency-response procedures, environmental monitoring, and interagency coordination. They stressed that the people of East Palestine deserve a government that is transparent and accountable.
“If the Biden administration withheld public health risks from the community, they must be held accountable,” Vance said in a social media post announcing the request. The move underscores the ongoing political fallout from the derailment, which has become a flashpoint in debates over regulatory oversight and environmental safety. The Trump administration has also been rolling back environmental rules, a context that some critics say could undermine the EPA's independence in this probe.
The EPA's Office of Inspector General has not yet publicly responded to the letter. The investigation, if launched, would likely examine whether federal agencies adequately communicated risks to residents and whether proper protocols were followed during the emergency response.
