Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin have called for an investigation into the Biden administration’s response to the February 2023 Norfolk Southern derailment and hazardous-materials release in East Palestine, Ohio.
In a release issued Friday, August 28, the EPA said that Vance and Zeldin had jointly written to the EPA’s Office of Inspector General, requesting an independent investigation. Their request comes in the wake of a report published last week by the watchdog organization Government Accountability Project.
According to that report, initial modeling conducted by the Department of Defense projected the possibility of mass casualties resulting from the vent-and-burn disposal of vinyl chloride. The report alleges that this information was withheld from individuals at the site.
An initial estimate reportedly indicated that as many as 18,000 people could be exposed to harmful chemicals, while 1,900 people were located within what was described as a “death possible” zone. Later estimates significantly reduced the number of people considered at risk, bringing the figure down to 840.
In a social media post that included the joint letter requesting the investigation, Vance said that the matter required accountability if public health information had been withheld.
“If the Biden administration withheld public health risks from the community, they must be held accountable,” the vice president wrote.
The derailment itself was also investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, which concluded that the controversial vent-and-burn operation was “unnecessary” and had increased exposure to hazardous materials for both members of the public and first responders.
The latest request places renewed scrutiny on the federal response to one of the most significant rail safety and hazardous-material incidents in recent years.
The EPA’s inspector general position has also undergone changes since the derailment. Sean O’Donnell, who served in the role, was among several inspectors general dismissed by President Donald Trump in January 2025. Nicole Murley, the agency’s deputy inspector general, is currently serving as acting inspector general after joining the EPA from the Department of Justice in 2021.
