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update on the federal government updates to hold rail operator norfolk southern accountable after a ohio train derailment in february 2023. he was joined by east palestine mayor trent conaway. this is about 20 minutes.

the vast majority has been done but we will stay until the very end until every need is met. i want to continue to hold norfolk southern accountable to

make sure they make their community whole in the future. what they cannot make whole, the government will make all. we have an obligation. this derailment won't define you, it defines you in a different way. the courage and resilience of this community. and compassion you have shown for your fellow citizens. let me be clear. while there are acts of god, this was an act of greed that was 100% preventable. let me say it again. 100% preventable. we were pushing railroads to take more precautions to deal with a whole range of things that were not dealt with. norfolk southern failed its

responsibility. multimillion dollar railroad companies transporting toxic chemicals have the response ability to do it safely. norfolk southern failed. my administration was on the ground within hours working closely with the governor, the mayor, senators, committee leaders to make sure you have everything you need. my administration ordered norfolk southern to clean up the mess and created. that includes an executive order to continue our priority to hold norfolk southern fully accountable for this disaster. in any long-term effects that are identified as time goes on. not just here, but also in darlington, pennsylvania where i visited an hour ago. testing the air, the water, the soil quality. deploy teams of health experts very provide emergency loans to local businesses. but it is not done yet.

we have more to do. today, i'm announcing the award of six national institutes of health grants to some of america's best researching is versed he's -- universities to study the short and long-term impacts of what happened here. that includes here at case western university. you will have a to researcher as long as you need. i want to restate my support for the bipartisan safety belt. senator brown and senator vance and others will require stronger protective measures when trains are carrying hazardous waste. storage for tank cars. we argued for years. they should be able to survive a crash without exploding. meet higher safety standards. the fact of the matter is there was a lot of discussion ahead of time, the four this occurred,

about the safety of the rating systems of many railroad trains. more staff on trains so there are more people to respond immediately to a crash. it's important that the senate follows the house and pass the tax reform bill. to make sure that folks don't get hit with a tax, surprise tax bill, for compensation. that is not taxable income to them. we have to make sure no one is taxed for anything that is reimbursed or received from norfolk southern. it's not right. i support this tax reform bill and we have to get it done. we have done in one year what would typically take many years. we will keep going. like i said, your compassion and

resilience, leadership of the people of this community. the courage of your firefighters, law enforcement officers, first responders who run into danger to serve others. they deserve the care we owe them. because that's what we do. it doesn't matter if you are democrat, republican or independent. what matters is we are all americans. everyone. we look out for one another. we leave no one behind. we come back stronger than before. that's what you are doing here. that's happening right here in this community. that is what going on downtown in your part. now you're downtown and parts are reopened. students are frustrated. opposing schools would not travel here for sports events. now you are playing home games again. finally. that is pride.

that's also progress. we have another obligation. to stay here as long as it takes to get everything done and be sure no one is left behind. in moments like this, lesser member who we are. we are the united states of america for god sake. we have obligations. there is nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together. and we will stay here and do it together as long as it takes. may god bless you all. may god protect our troops. we have a lot to do. let me turn this over to the epa administrator michael regan, he will have a few things to say as well. >> good afternoon, everyone. it's an honor to join president biden here in east palestine today. a community that embodies strength, resilience, hope and progress. mr. president, thank you for

your laser focus on this community from day one. thank you for directing epa and all federal partners. and thank you, mr. president, for what you're doing to support this community. president biden has never forgotten east palestine. mayor conaway, thank you for being with us. it is because of mayor conaway's leadership and tenacity that east palestine is well on its way to full restoration. it's been a year since the norfolk southern freight train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed. releasing toxins into the environment and upending countless lives. many spent a year of fear, uncertainty and disarray. while we recognize times have been challenging, thanks to president biden's strong leadership, this administration has stood shoulder to shoulder with east palestine every single day since last february.

immediately after the disaster, the president found to hold -- vowed to hold norfolk southern accountable. he committed to a whole of government approach using every tool available to assist the community during a time of need. i'm grateful to work for a president who cares deeply about the community and stays true to his word. the emergency response from the united states epa arrived on scene within hours of the derailment. joining the local first responders who heroically prevented loss of life, prevented serious injury and additional property damage in the surrounding residential areas. folks, it's been a year of action. i'm proud of all we have accomplished together since last february. the u.s. epa continues to direct cleanup in east palestine. today, we have removed more than 176,000 tons of contaminated

soil out of the community for safe disposal. we shipped more than 43 million gallons of wastewater off-site. more than 6 million gallons which were treated on site prior to safely being shipped off-site . we have collected more than 115 million air monitoring data points. more than 45,000 samples in and around the community, using high-tech epa aircraft, mobile labs and stationary monitors. epa's community welcome center has served more than 1200 visitors and received over 1300 calls and is still available to this day to residents who may have questions. my agency continues to engage and provide information through our regular newsletter and community events. every step of the way, as president biden has stated, we

have held norfolk southern accountable for the harm they included on this community. we have leveraged every enforcement tool available to epa against norfolk southern to ensure they complete and they pay for the extensive cleanup activities conducted over the last year. i'm grateful to our state, federal and local partners. as well as our partners in the united states house and senate who have worked tirelessly to restore this community. so many lives were upended. so much changed since last february. i have seen firsthand the strength and resilience of east palestine. and i'm certain you are well on your way to bouncing back to be stronger than ever before. now it's my pleasure to turn things over to mayor conaway.

>> thank you all for coming. on behalf of the village of east palestine, i want to welcome president biden. as we passed the first anniversary of the train the relevant, the village of east palestine appreciate support from the u.s. epa, department of transportation. we would like to thank governor mike dewine, the ohio epa, ohio ema and department of public safety. and all our state and local partners that have been with us since the beginning. we have faced many challenges but as a community we have shown resilience. we will not be defined by this single event. rather our response to it and our perseverance. president biden, your long-awaited visit to the village allows us to focus on the things we agree with. address the long-term health concerns and economic growth of the village. and ensure this never happens again to another community. our goal is to be collaborative

and proactive. collectively take control of what we can shape for a stronger future. this includes support of bipartisan railway legislation. federal tax relief for funds received by -- from norfolk southern, sorry. along with your unwavering assurances that our long-term needs will be addressed. which we have expressed here today, sir. we will not stop working though. we will continue to strive to improve. not just relying on external aid, but on our own efforts to elevate the village. we are committed to see every opportunity for growth. enhancing our community's strength and resilience through initiative and perseverance. we are rooted in pride, tradition and unwavering in our drive for progress to determine the outcome of any obstacle.

i thank you all for coming here today. god bless east palestine and the united states. [indistinct conversation]

>> thank you, everyone.

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