The Biden administration was slow to react after the 2023 derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train hauling carcinogenic chemicals near the small town of East Palestine, Ohio. The air was filled with plumes of dangerous gas during a “controlled release” burn.
Despite residents reporting mysterious rashes and headaches following the massive toxic chemical explosion, as well as the death of chickens, pets, marine life, and other wildlife, the Biden-Harris administration was slow to respond. They were too busy sending money to foreign countries.
Almost seven months later, Joe Biden finally decided to send FEMA executive Jim McPherson to assess the status and address unmet needs.
In an exclusive from News Nation, although new documents from FEMA obtained through the Freedom of Information Act revealed extensive coordination between FEMA, the White House, and other agencies, serious concerns about the impact on residents’ health were buried.
Lesley Pacey, an investigator with the Government Accountability Project, told NewsNation “FEMA knew health care was the No. 1 issue.”
“They also knew that they called this plume a really toxic plume. They knew that there would be the potential for cancer clusters,” Pacey said.
The agency noted “the occurrence of a cancer-cluster in [East Palestine] is not zero” and expressed the need for a “tripwire to identify cancer clusters.”
Pacey added, “It was only discussed internally, and it actually was discussed all the way up to the White House.
“There’s White House officials and National Security Council officials discussing the dangers of the cancer cluster potential and the health issues and discussing whether or not to release the unmet needs report to the public and to the media.”
Despite the concerns, the Biden administration never released the “Unmet Needs Report” to the public or the media.
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