Local state lawmaker asks Biden for disaster declaration in East Palestine

COLUMBUS — A state representative from Butler County is urging the Biden Administration to issue a Major Disaster Declaration in relation to the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: DeWine asks Biden for disaster declaration in East Palestine

Republican State Rep. Jennifer Gross, from West Chester, sent a letter to the White House Thursday because of the train derailment and hazardous material spill back in February.

“This is not a red issue or a blue issue, this is an issue of human lives being severely impacted for no wrongdoing of their own,” she said. “It is crucial that more is done to help these citizens get back to their normal lives, they should not be abandoned nor forgotten any longer.”

>>PHOTOS: Massive explosion at start of controlled release of chemicals at train derailment

Gross has called for the full removal of contaminated soil and improved monitoring of long-term health impacts.

On Feb. 3, about 50 cars on a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, more than a dozen of which were carrying hazardous materials.

News Center 7 previously reported that Governor Mike DeWine asked President Joe Biden for a Major Presidential Disaster Declaration back in July.

“The possibility remains that the voluntary support provided by Norfolk Southern could at some point in the future cease, and this declaration is needed to ensure that the state and federal government use all resources available to step in and provide the community with needed assistance,” DeWine said in his letter to the president.

Clean-up continues near the derailment site months after the disaster.

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