Biden’s executive order provides more federal help to East Palestine but stops short of disaster declaration

President Joe Biden took a step late Wednesday afternoon that may soon provide more federal support for those whose lives remain upended by a toxic Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine earlier this year.

Biden issued an executive order that, among other things, calls for a coordinator to oversee long-term recovery efforts. The coordinator, to be designated within five days by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will work with state and local officials to identify any unmet needs not addressed by Norfolk Southern, and what needs would qualify for federal assistance. Notice of those needs will then be sent to the appropriate executive department or agency.

The order also states that it’s a “continuing priority” of the Biden administration to hold the railroad company “fully accountable under the law for the disaster and any of its long-term effects.”

Biden’s move falls short of a major presidential disaster declaration — something for which a number of residents affected by the Feb. 3 disaster have, for months, been requesting. Such a declaration would ensure federal resources to assist residents who continue to face financial hardships, health issues and uncertainty.

In texts shortly after release of the order, East Palestine residents called it a “baby step in the right direction” and an “incremental step forward.”

A disaster declaration, requested by Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine more than two months ago, could happen in the future. The request is being “held in abeyance,” or put on hold, the order reads. The administration first wants to give Ohio officials time to submit information on “needs that may arise in the future and cannot be addressed” by Norfolk Southern or state and local governments. 

“If the Administrator of FEMA receives such information from the State, including with respect to a change in the nature of assistance provided by Norfolk Southern, the Administrator shall immediately assess and submit a recommendation on whether a major disaster declaration is warranted,” the order reads.

Obtaining additional federal help has, for several residents, been an ongoing struggle. Some continue to live in nearby hotels because they believe their homes remain unsafe after 38 cars carrying hazardous materials derailed in the small Ohio town 40 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Some of those cars burned for two days. Emergency crews then conducted a “controlled burn” that released a stew of dangerous chemicals into the air.

In June, dozens of residents traveled to Columbus, Ohio, in an effort to persuade the governor to officially ask Biden to issue a disaster declaration. That effort paid off in early July, when DeWine made the request on the last day he could, as FEMA had given him a deadline.

Later that month, nine residents traveled to Washington, D.C., and met with several lawmakers — including Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and members of  Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey’s staff — in an effort to pressure Biden to grant DeWine’s request. 

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, issued a statement calling the Biden administration’s order “an overdue but welcomed step to support the people of East Palestine. There is still much more work to do.”