U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, has cosponsored the East Palestine Health Monitoring Act of 2025 that would authorize funding to study the long-term health effects of the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

Kelly said residents of East Palestine and Lawrence County, which is only 3 miles from East Palestine, would benefit from the study. He met with Lawrence County officials after the derailment and supported expansion of the Environmental Protection Agency’s testing of air, water and soil into Pennsylvania.

“Like their neighbors in East Palestine, Lawrence County residents deserve to have the peace of mind that their long-term health will not be impacted by the train derailment two years ago,” Kelly said. “This legislation ensures proper research and safety measures will be taken for everyone who lives near the derailment site.”

A Norfolk Southern train derailed Feb. 3, 2023, and rail cars carrying vinyl chloride were vented and burned a few days later, sending a plume of smoke across Ohio and into Pennsylvania.