Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, told Newsmax on Wednesday he learned train sensors detected "a problem" before derailing in East Palestine and causing a massive fire and release of hazardous chemicals.
"I can tell you what I've been told is there are supposed to be sensors on that train, and that the sensors did pick up a problem," Johnson told "The Record with Greta Van Susteren." "The question in my mind is who does the sensor information go to? Why wasn't the train stopped at that point?
"And there are also detectors along the tracks that are supposed to pick up any kind of anomalies like heat, fire, that kind of thing, and notify the appropriate authorities and the engineers on the train so that it can be addressed."
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, 38 cars on a Norfolk Southern general freight merchandise train derailed on the main track in East Palestine, Ohio, at 8:54 p.m. ET on Feb. 3, resulting in a fire that damaged another 12 cars.
According to the agency, 11 out of the 20 cars carrying hazardous chemicals, like Vinyl Chloride, Polyethylene, and Ethylhexyl Acrylate, were among those that went off the tracks.
The agency said it was possible a problem with one of the axles overheating might have led to the accident, but the investigation is continuing.
The fire caused evacuations of the town with a population of 4,700 as well as both sides of the Ohio Pennsylvania border, The New York Times reported.
Authorities conducted a "controlled release" of the toxic chemicals Feb. 6, and the Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement Tuesday the agency had conducted tests to the air, water, and 396 homes in the area of the accident and no "levels of health concern" from the involved chemicals were found.
"EPA Region 5's number one priority is – and will always be – the health and safety of communities across the region," EPA Regional Administrator Debra Shore said in a statement Tuesday. "That's why as soon as EPA was notified of the Norfolk Southern train derailment on Friday, Feb. 3, EPA personnel were on-site by 2 a.m. Saturday morning to assist with air monitoring."
While the agency said it did not find anything "of concern" in its testing, The New York Times reported Wednesday that fish and other animals have died since the derailment and fire, leaving residents anxious.
"I just don't trust anybody," Mike Routh, 28, standing in the parking lot of the Abundant Life Fellowship church in New Waterford, a town five miles east of East Palestine told the news outlet.
Johnson said Wednesday he issued a letter to the railroad informing them they needed to take the entire town and area into account when calculating compensation for the people impacted.
"I think it's beholden upon North Norfolk Southern to alleviate the suffering of these people," Johnson said. "That's why I went to it with a letter [Tuesday] for all the support that Norfolk Southern is giving to the people in the evacuation zone, which was a mile from the epicenter.
"That's why I went out with the letter saying, 'Hey, you need to look at the entire village of East Palestine,' because of the unintended consequences [of the accident]."
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