Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, who represents the embattled village of East Palestine, has been pleased with the Environmental Protection Agency's day-to-day response to the Feb. 3 train derailment, which eventually led to a toxic chemical spill and massive chemical explosion at the site of the crash.
"I am satisfied that the EPA — both the federal and state levels — have been on the ground since Day 1; they've been all over it," Johnson told Newsmax's "Spicer & Co." with hosts Sean Spicer and Lyndsay Keith on Tuesday.
Johnson then praised EPA Administrator Michael Regan for "not trying to invalidate" any of the health worries posed by the leaders and residents of East Palestine, regarding a horrific incident that could have brought long-term damage to fish and wildlife in the region, along with drinking water for area citizens.
During Tuesday's joint press conference in East Palestine, which featured a number of local, state, and federal agencies, Johnson beamed over the opening of a fully accessible health clinic in the area designed "to help people navigate any health concerns they have."
"They're not going to be dismissed," Johnson added.
The above answer prompted a hard question about the current state of East Palestine's drinking water and breathable air.
"The ground truth is this: The village's municipal water has tested 'safe' — not once, not twice, but many, many times, since the early days of the derailment," Johnson said.
Regarding personal wells outside East Palestine, Johnson said the residents "need to get their water tested. Those are the people that probably want to drink bottled water" until testing concludes.
"If I were a homeowner there," Johnson noted, "I wouldn't drink my well water either, until I had it tested."
Inside the village, though, Johnson personally maintains the "water is safe."
"I've drank it," he said. "The EPA administrator did. Ohio Gov. [Mike] DeWine did earlier today, as well."
Regarding air quality, Johnson was happy to report "no abnormal levels with chemicals" have been detected in the area.
"I'm comfortable with the science, but there's still plenty of testing to go" in the coming weeks and months, Johnson added.
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, resulting in a fire that damaged another 12 cars.
The agency also stated 11 out of the 20 cars carrying hazardous chemicals, such as vinyl chloride, polyethylene, and ethylhexyl acrylate, went off the tracks.
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