BIDEN’S EAST PALESTINE VISIT: President Joe Biden is heading to East Palestine this afternoon more than a year after a devastating train derailment caused more than 100,000 gallons of hazardous chemicals to be derailed and burned into the ground and air. But the president will have to navigate a political minefield, as he faces criticism from Republicans and local residents that he waited too long after the disaster to finally visit the state.
This will be Biden’s first visit to the town since the train derailment last year – and the president is expected to reaffirm his efforts in supporting East Palestine, including holding Norfolk Southern – the company transporting the hazardous chemicals – accountable for the disaster.
According to a White House official, the Biden administration will receive a briefing from officials on the continuing recovery efforts, and is expected to tout the administration’s response directly following the disaster.
Here’s a rundown of what the president is likely to mention:
- Various agencies deployed teams to assist directly following the disaster, including Environmental Protection Agency personnel to aid local emergency and environmental response efforts, Department of Transportation officials to assist the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation of the derailment, and Department of Health and Human Services officials to help conduct public health testing and offer technical assistance.
- The EPA ordered Norfolk Southern to clean the environmental damage caused by the derailment.
- Biden issued an executive order in September of last year that aimed to ensure that Norfolk Southern “continues to be held accountable” for the disaster, and to ensure that federal assistance is available to affected communities if their needs are not met by the company.
- The president will likely reiterate his calls for Congress to pass the Bipartisan Railway Safety Act, which would enact new requirements for rail carriers and trains transporting hazardous materials.
But: Many members of the community still have qualms with how the administration responded to the disaster. Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called on the White House to issue a disaster declaration – which would grant the state access to even more federal resources. However, the request was not granted. Furthermore, there are still lingering concerns of contamination in the city’s drinking water – to which the White House has dismissed.
“The president has no concerns with drinking the water in East Palestine,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said on Thursday during the daily briefing. “The EPA is confident that the drinking water is safe.”
Ohio’s EPA declared the drinking water safe just weeks following the crash.
Fresh fodder for Republicans: Expect Republicans to label the visit as motivated by election-year politics, underlining how politically divisive the visit is. Trump supporters had planned a rally to coincide with Biden’s visit, according to the New York Times. The former president had visited the community within the same month of the disaster.
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EXCLUSIVE: More than 100 Republicans called on the Environmental Protection Agency to revoke a final rule establishing a tighter air quality standard for fine particles otherwise known as soot – arguing the rule would economically devastate their districts.
In a letter led by Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse, along with Vice Chairman Bruce Westerman and Rep. Buddy Carter, the lawmakers asserted that the EPA’s standard is unattainable for nearly one third of the U.S. population, and would force industries to comply with new requirements that would make it harder to obtain permits. Furthermore, the group argues that the rule is unnecessary, pointing to EPA data that shows concentrations of particulate matter have dropped 42% since 2000.
“Time and again, this Administration has put the extreme environmental agenda above the needs of individuals, communities, and businesses that drive the economy of our Nation,” the letter reads. “The harm that your agency will be inflicting on our Congressional districts through this final rule is untenable.”
The group also outlined that states will need to submit new implementation plans to demonstrate that they have the necessary programs to meet the revised standards. The members argue the turnaround time would be too quick, with industries having “effectively no time to adjust and meet” the new standards. Read the letter here.
Refresher: The EPA finalized the air quality rule earlier this month, which would set an average yearly soot exposure standard of 9 micrograms per cubic meter of air, down sharply from 12 micrograms. The tighter benchmark is expected to prevent 4,500 premature deaths, with health benefits worth an estimated $22-46 billion.
This is one of the most contentious rules that the Biden administration has put out – and is expected to be challenged in court.
BREAKING: Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Sen. Joe Manchin announced today that he would not enter the 2024 presidential race as an independent or third-party candidate, ending a year of speculation about his political future, our Emily Jacobs reports.
Manchin, who was considering a bid with the centrist group No Labels, made the announcement while delivering a speech from Morgantown, West Virginia, with his Americans Together organization.
“I will not be seeking a third party run, I will not be involved in a presidential run,” Manchin said. “I will be involved in making sure that we secure a president who has the knowledge and has the passion and has the ability to bring this country together.”
“I just don’t think it’s the right time,” he added.
Rather than seek reelection to his coveted seat, the West Virginia Democrat announced in November 2023 that he plans to travel the country in hopes of being a unifier. The decision sparked speculation about his presidential ambitions.
Manchin has also fiercely defended plans from No Labels to create a third-party presidential ticket amid sustained speculation that he could be their nominee. Read more on that here.
CALIFORNIA ELECTRIC VEHICLE SALES ACTUALLY FELL IN SECOND HALF OF 2023: Sales of electric vehicles in California fell in the third and fourth quarters of 2023, the Los Angeles Times reports, a notable trend because it raises questions about the feasibility of California’s EV goals – and, by extension, the Biden administration’s.
To clarify: There has been some confusion about what is happening with EV demand throughout the country. The efforts by some automakers to scale back on EV production has created the impression that demand for EVs is falling – a narrative that has put the Biden administration on the defensive.
The reality is that EV sales have been soaring. Total EV sales rose 50% in 2023, according to the Argonne National Laboratory, far from a drop in demand.
Current and future EV demand may not be as high as some automakers expected, leading them to cut back on production. But that means that their expectations were sky-high, not that demand is weak.
Nevertheless, California is worth watching: Growth has also been strong in California, with overall 2023 sales of EVs up 29% from 2022. But the slowdown in the last two quarters is notable because California has led the country in EV adoption. The new market share of EVs in the state is over 20%, relative to 7.6% for the U.S. as a whole.
Consecutive quarters of declining sales suggests California could be hitting the saturation point for early adopters, meaning that many of the people who are going to buy EVs in the near-term have now done so. If so, that would give a hint of the limits the rest of the country might soon encounter.
MORE RELIEF ON ENERGY PRICES: Falling energy prices helped limit overall inflation in January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in this morning’s producer price index update.
The PPI, which measures prices received by producers, showed energy prices declining 1.7% in the month and a massive 9.8% year over year.
Overall inflation ran a bit hotter than expected in January, which is bad news for the economy as a whole and for the Federal Reserve’s efforts to tighten monetary policy.
But the significant easing in energy prices is a boon to manufacturing, transportation, retail, and any other business that needs to keep the lights on, and reflects the ongoing improvement in supply chains after the huge run-up in costs after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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