President Biden stops in Beaver County, meets with Pa. resident during East Palestine visit
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DARLINGTON TWP. — President Joe Biden stopped in Beaver County Friday ahead of his long-awaited visit to East Palestine, marking one year since the Norfolk Southern train disaster rattled those living on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
The president met briefly with Darlington Township first responders and supervisors alongside state and federal lawmakers at the township municipal building. Those in attendance included U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-17, Aspinwall; state Sen. Elder Vogel Jr. R-47, New Sewickley Township; and state Rep. Jim Marshall, R-14, Big Beaver.
Biden shared his admiration for Darlington Township first responders before heading to East Palestine, where he surveyed federal cleanup efforts and praised the “Herculean efforts" of federal, state and local officials in the wake of the February 2023 derailment.
In East Palestine, Biden reiterated his support for tougher regulations on trains carrying hazardous materials, including the federal Railway Safety Act, and announced new federal National Institutes of Health grants to study the short- and long-term impacts of the incident.
Biden blamed corporate greed for the disaster, calling it “100% preventable.”
A year after Norfolk Southern’s hours-long vent and burn of hazardous chemicals in Ohio, some Pennsylvanians living near the site continue to fear the long-term impact of toxic exposure.
After his remarks in East Palestine, Biden met with a handful of concerned residents from Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Hilary Flint, an environmental activist and cancer survivor who lived in Enon Valley with her grandmother during the derailment, was among those who met with the president Friday. For the past year, Flint has pushed for more comprehensive environmental monitoring, accessible health care for affected residents and help for those wishing to relocate.
Even as some residents felt Biden’s visit was a year too late, Flint said her discussion with the president was “lighthearted,” but productive.
“The good news about this visit is that it is the start, it’s an open door. We have a line to the White House,” she said. “While we didn’t get a disaster declaration or health care, we’re leaving this with a lot of hope. We were able to get information to him and talk to him about what’s going on here. He made it public today that if Norfolk Southern leaves any gaps, the federal government will step in.”
Flint said she was instrumental in bringing Biden to Darlington. Months prior, she sent a letter to the White House alongside East Palestine Mayor Trent Conway inviting him to visit.
“I’m proud we were able to make this happen,” Flint said. “I knew the people of Darlington feel left behind and that (the White House) owed it to the town to stop there.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Biden stops in Beaver County, meets with Pa. resident during East Palestine visit
