According to the Ohio Highway Patrol, a truck carrying 40,000 pounds of toxic sludge from the East Palestine Ohio train derailment sight crashed Monday afternoon. The crash resulted in 20,000 pounds of toxic East Palestine dirt being spilled onto the highway. Ohio Senator JD Vance has attacked the Biden Administration in the past for their lackluster effort in removing the toxic dirt from East Palestine.
The Ohio Emergency Management Agency released a statement describing the crash, “According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, a commercial vehicle hauling 40,000 pounds of contaminated soil from the East Palestine train derailment site was involved in a crash on SR-165. The northbound tractor-trailer traveled off the roadway and overturned onto its right side. The Ohio State Highway Patrol estimates that approximately 20,000 pounds of soil spilled onto the roadway and berm.”
The statement also assured residents there was no immediate threat to their health, “The local fire department and the Ohio EPA are on scene. According to the Ohio EPA, the spill was contained and is not a threat to nearby waterways. The Ohio Department of Transportation has closed SR 165 at SR 617 in Mahoning County and at SR 14 in Columbiana County. The Ohio State Highway Patrol reports that the driver sustained minor injuries” the statement read.
A truck carrying toxic dirt from East Palestine, Ohio, crashed, causing thousands of pounds of poisonous dirt to spill in Columbiana County, Ohio. The Biden EPA’s clean-up of East Palestine has been a disaster. pic.twitter.com/p960Jw7ziO
— Charles R Downs (@TheCharlesDowns) April 11, 2023
In the past, Ohio Senator JD Vance has criticized the Biden Administration for their lackluster effort in removing the toxic dirt in East Palestine, writing, ” Toxic chemicals are still just sitting in piles in East Palestine. President Biden: show some leadership and help these Americans clean up their community.”
Toxic chemicals are still just sitting in piles in East Palestine. President Biden: show some leadership and help these Americans clean up their community. pic.twitter.com/5wabioTSLI
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) March 13, 2023
During a March congressional hearing, Vance criticized the Biden Administration’s handling of East Palestine by saying, “Politicians were slow to respond to this crisis, in part because a certain segment of our leadership feels like the people in East Palestine are little out of style… a little too rural, maybe a little too white”
Joe Biden has yet to visit East Palestine, Ohio.