HR 147 — Investigate East Palestine train derailment and EPA response

As(136th AdoptedGeneralAssembly) by(House Resolution Number 147) ARESOLUTION To urge Congress to establish a special committee to investigate the HouseEast 136thPalestine, GeneralOhio Assemblytrain Regularderailment Sessionand H.the federal Environmental Protection Agency's response to it.

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Ohio:

WHEREAS, On February 3, 2023, a freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, while carrying hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethyl-hexyl acrylate, butyl acrylates, benzene residue, and isobutylene.

In response, officials evacuated a one-mile radius around the derailment location and then extended it to two miles a few days later;

and WHEREAS, The force of the crash caused several rail cars to catch fire and others to spill their toxic loads onto the soil, causing hazardous substances to travel into local waterways;

and WHEREAS, Emergency crews were forced to conduct controlled burns of five vinyl chloride tank rail cars to limit potential explosions.

But as a result of the controlled burning, plumes of black smoke containing hazardous chemicals were released into the air;

and WHEREAS, In September 2023, President Biden issued Executive Order 14108, "ensuring the people of East Palestine are protected now and in the future." This Executive Order also states, in pertinent part, that "available data show that no contaminants of concern have been detected at levels of concern in the air in the affected communities at sustained levels since the evacuation order was lifted";

and WHEREAS, The Executive Order also directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to "oversee long-term recovery efforts in the affected communities and conduct a comprehensive assessment of unmet needs of the affected communities in recovering from the derailment beyond the cleanup work directed by EPA";

and WHEREAS, Newly-obtained documents acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request show that officials from FEMA voiced concerns that the chemical spill and the plume of smoke set off by the controlled burn could cause "cancer clusters";

now therefore be it RESOLVED, That we, the members of the House of Representatives of the 136th General Assembly of the State of Ohio, in adopting this resolution, urge Congress to establish a special committee to investigate the East Palestine train derailment and the United States Environmental ProtectionAgency's response to it;

and be it further RESOLVED, That we, the members of the House of Representatives of the 136th General Assembly of the State of Ohio, in adopting this resolution, urge Congress to appoint members of the Ohio Congressional delegation to the special committee;

and be it further H.

147 2025-2026136th RepresentativeG.A. Robb Blasdel Cosponsors:

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4Speaker BE_________________ ITof RESOLVEDthe BYHouse THEof HOUSERepresentatives. OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

WHEREAS,Adopted On____________________, February20____ 3, 2023, a freight train derailed in 5 East Palestine, Ohio, while carrying hazardous materials, 6 including vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, 7 ethyl-hexyl acrylate, butyl acrylates, benzene residue, and 8 isobutylene.

In response, officials evacuated a one-mile radius 9 around the derailment location and then extended it to two miles 10 a few days later;

and 11 WHEREAS, The force of the crash caused several rail cars to 12 catch fire and others to spill their toxic loads onto the soil, 13 H.

R.

No.

147 Page 2 As Adopted by the House causing hazardous substances to travel into local waterways;

and 14 WHEREAS, Emergency crews were forced to conduct controlled 15 burns of five vinyl chloride tank rail cars to limit potential 16 explosions.

But as a result of the controlled burning, plumes of 17 black smoke containing hazardous chemicals were released into 18 the air;

and 19 WHEREAS, In September 2023, President Biden issued 20 Executive Order 14108, "ensuring the people of East Palestine 21 are protected now and in the future." This Executive Order also 22 states, in pertinent part, that "available data show that no 23 contaminants of concern have been detected at levels of concern 24 in the air in the affected communities at sustained levels since 25 the evacuation order was lifted";

and 26 WHEREAS, The Executive Order also directed the Federal 27 Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to "oversee long-term 28 recovery efforts in the affected communities and conduct a 29 comprehensive assessment of unmet needs of the affected 30 communities in recovering from the derailment beyond the cleanup 31 work directed by EPA";

and 32 WHEREAS, Newly-obtained documents acquired through a 33 Freedom of Information Act request show that officials from FEMA 34 voiced concerns that the chemical spill and the plume of smoke 35 set off by the controlled burn could cause "cancer clusters";

36 now therefore be it 37 RESOLVED, That we, the members of the House of 38 Representatives of the 136th General Assembly of the State of 39 Ohio, in adopting this resolution, urge Congress to establish a 40 special committee to investigate the East Palestine train 41 derailment and the United States Environmental Protection 42 Agency's response to it;

and be it further 43 RESOLVED, That we, the members of the House of 44 H.

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No.

147 Page 3 As Adopted by the House Representatives of the 136th General Assembly of the State of 45 Ohio, in adopting this resolution, urge Congress to appoint 46 members of the Ohio Congressional delegation to the special 47 committee;

and be it further 48 RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives 49 transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the 50 President of the United States, the Speaker and Clerk of the 51 United States House of Representatives, the President Pro 52 Tempore and Secretary of the United States Senate, each member 53 of Congress, and the news media of Ohio.

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