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Today, Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Marietta) led the Ohio U.S. House and U.S. Senate delegation letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urging federal assistance with the cleanup of the train derailment and subsequent chemical fire that occurred in East Palestine, Ohio on February 3:

“Despite the severity of the wreckage, release of chemicals, and the disruption to the lives of local residents, we have just been informed that Ohio apparently does not meet the eligibility threshold for FEMA assistance at this time.  Along with my colleagues, I respectfully request that you provide a detailed response as to why the residents of this community do not qualify for assistance from your agency,” wrote Rep. Bill Johnson. “We look forward to your prompt response and your commitment to use any available federal resources to help the suffering residents of this small, rural community.”

Rep. Bill Johnson represents Ohio’s 6^th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives, which includes East Palestine. Earlier this week, Johnson sent a letter to Norfolk Southern asking the rail company to fairly compensate all East Palestine residents affected by the train derailment, not just those in the initial evacuation zone. Today, Norfolk Southern announced they will expand the geographic area eligible for reimbursements and other costs related to the train derailment to all East Palestine residents in the 44413 zip code.