U.S. faces bigger environmental threats than a single train derailment. Will GOP rise to the challenge?

One of the curiosities to rise out of the Norfolk Southern train derailment that spilled toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, and caused a days-long fire, has been the outcry from Republican opinion leaders. High-profile conservatives — from U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas — have questioned whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Transportation and President Joe Biden have done enough to help Upper Ohio Valley residents and protect other U.S. communities from similar disasters.