WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, responded on Thursday to the news that President Joe Biden had issued an executive order that will place a federal relief community on the ground to assist those who were impacted by the derailment in East Palestine earlier this year.

“This is an overdue, but welcomed step to support the people of East Palestine,” said Brown. “There is still much more work to do to make this community whole, and I will continue to push the administration to deliver for East Palestine and hold Norfolk Southern accountable.”

Brown hosted a conference call Thursday where he gave an update on his efforts to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for the damage his office said “the company’s lax safety culture” has caused to the East Palestine community.

On Feb. 16, Brown first called on the state of Ohio to officially declare a disaster in East Palestine and seek the full support of the federal government to bolster the state of Ohio’s ongoing clean-up efforts. Brown also personally pushed President Biden to send FEMA and additional federal resources to East Palestine following the derailment in February.