The Trump administration has launched a new investigation into the toxic waste spill that contaminated East Palestine, Ohio, three years after a train derailment released hazardous chemicals into the community. In a joint letter sent Friday, Vice President JD Vance and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin requested that the EPA’s acting inspector general, Nicole Murley, conduct a “comprehensive, independent” probe of the Biden administration’s handling of the incident.

The request follows the recent release of an initial assessment by a government watchdog group, which found that chemicals spilled during the derailment could have endangered thousands of Americans. The letter states: “For over three years, the people of East Palestine and surrounding communities have lived with the fateful decisions of the Biden Administration, State of Ohio, and Norfolk Southern.”

The probe will evaluate potential shortcomings in emergency-response procedures and environmental monitoring standards following a recent EPA enforcement action against a government subcontractor that allegedly altered groundwater sampling data collected at the site in fall 2025. If deficiencies are identified, the Trump administration’s EPA will consider corrective actions to address the issues uncovered in its investigation.