Vice presidential nominee Vance keeps focus on Ohio and East Palestine

Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks at the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum, late Wednesday night in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
EAST PALESTINE — Tapped by Donald Trump as his vice presidential pick and formally nominated as part of the GOP ticket at the Republican National Convention on Monday, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Cincinnati, has the attention of the nation.
The senator’s attention, however, remains focused on Ohioians — particularly those impacted by last year’s train derailment — Vance’s office told The Vindicator’s sister paper, the (Lisbon) Morning Journal, on Tuesday.
“Sen. Vance will never stop fighting for the people of East Palestine,” a spokesman for Vance said. “He and his staff stand ready to address residents’ concerns, and efforts are ongoing to enact commonsense railway safety reform and a long-term health monitoring program.”
Vance emerged as an advocate for East Palestine in the days following the derailment and chemical release. Aside from introducing the Rail Safety Act — proposed legislation that would require more stringent regulations for railroads — on March 1, 2023, in a bipartisanship measure with Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, Vance has pleaded with Washington to apply federal resources in the communities still struggling with the residual effects of the derailment. Vance also has repeatedly called for health monitoring, asked for more robust testing of the air quality in area homes, and supported residents’ demands for a declaration of disaster from President Joe Biden.
Misti Allison, who testified before Vance and other lawmakers in March 2023 during a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing and was one of the first residents to put a face on the disaster, said Vance’s selection as the vice presidential nominee is welcomed by the East Palestine community.
” I am pleased to see Sen. Vance selected as Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate,” she said. “From the beginning, Sen. Vance and his team have been outspoken advocates for the health of East Palestine residents and improving railway safety to prevent future accidents.”
The Rail Safety Act, among other things, would mandate hotbox detectors every 10 miles, would require advance notice to local officials of trains carrying hazardous cargo through towns along rail lines, as well as mandate a minimum two-person crew on every train. Vance lauded the bill and continues to call for passage of the legislation, but despite the efforts of Vance, Brown and bipartisan support, the bill has yet to make it to the Senate floor for a vote.
Vance’s willingness to work with his political rivals to advocate for East Palestine is refreshing, according to Allison.
“The senator has shown an ability to work in a bipartisan relationship to assist the impacted community members in East Palestine and the surrounding areas,” she said. “Hopefully, Vance will continue to work across the aisle to help any community in need.”
The Ohio senators’ bipartisan efforts also have included an appeal to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan to consider declaring a public health emergency in East Palestine and to enact Social Security Act 1881a in the village and other areas affected by the rail disaster. Social Security Act 1881a is a little-known clause in the Affordable Care Act that grants free Medicare to citizens exposed to environmental disasters. The senators also previously asked Regan to order more extensive air sampling in the village and to direct Norfolk Southern to conduct necessary and immediate cleaning to remedy the worry of residents. To date, Regan and the EPA have taken no action on any of the requests.
While he has been willing to work across the aisle, Vance also has been quick to call out the Biden administration for what he considered a dismal response to the derailment. Vance has chastised Biden for the lack of federal resources being made available in East Palestine while U.S. dollars were sent to Ukraine.
During a trip to the village on the one-year anniversary of the derailment, Vance lambasted Biden for his failure to declare a disaster for the area. At that time, it had been six months since Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine requested such a declaration. Vance said during his stop in the village in February that a declaration would be “too little too late,” as was a visit by Biden that had been announced days before. Biden would appear in East Palestine on Feb. 16.
In the year-and-a-half since the derailment, Vance himself has made numerous trips to East Palestine, making his criticism of what he calls “Biden’s EPA” known. Vance voiced annoyance when removal of the contaminated dirt from the village lagged. He later expressed frustration when the EPA reported conditions in the creeks were “improving,” though visible sheen remained in both Leslie and Sulphur Runs.
Vance witnessed that contamination firsthand. A video of Vance scraping the creek bed of Leslie Run and reporting what appeared to be chemicals “coming out of the ground” went viral in February 2023. When the U.S. Justice Department announced in May that it had reached a $315 million settlement on behalf of the federal EPA to remedy damages caused by last year’s derailment, Vance voiced dismay that it had done so before the National Transportation Safety Board presented its determinations to the public.
It was under questioning by Vance during Senate testimony earlier this year that the NTSB chair first publicly disclosed that the vent-and-burn of 1.1 million pounds of vinyl chloride that sent a black plume over East Palestine and surrounding communities was not necessary to prevent an explosion of derailed tank cars. Vance took aim at Norfolk Southern during that hearing, suggesting the railroad pushed for the vent-and-burn to clear the lines and get rail traffic moving as soon as possible.
Vance’s candidness in calling out federal agencies and the railroad has earned him support in the village.
Allison said Vance has worked side by side with residents to hold responsible feet to the fire. Should Trump be elected back to the White House in November, Allison said the village will have an advocate and ally in the nation’s second highest office.
“I am confident Sen. Vance won’t stop fighting for the impacted community members until we get accountability and justice we deserve,” she said. “I look forward to continued collaboration with the senator and his staff to ensure this happens.”
selverd@mojonews.com