Rahall: House Transportation Committee to Examine Elk River Chemical Spill at Charleston Field Hearing
Washington, DC – U.S. Representative Nick J. Rahall, D-WV, announced Wednesday that the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on which he serves as lead Democrat, will hold a Congressional field hearing in Charleston, West Virginia, on February 10th to examine the Elk River Chemical spill. The hearing is slated to take place at 9:00 a.m., at the Kanawha County Courthouse.
“The water has been turned back on, but West Virginians still have health concerns and questions about how this spill happened and what can be done to prevent it from ever occurring again,” said Rahall. “At the field hearing that my Committee will be holding, we will be endeavoring to get to the bottom of what happened. We will aim to ensure that responsible parties are held accountable, and we will look at what legal standards may need to be addressed.”
“I look forward to joining Ranking Member Rahall and other Members of the Committee in Charleston to examine the circumstances surrounding the Elk River chemical spill and response,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA). “This hearing will be critical to helping us understand why this incident happened and how we can better prevent something like this from happening again.”
The January 9th spill impacted more than 300,000 residents of the Kanawha Valley, triggering a state of emergency that lasted for nearly two weeks, and caused runs on water supplies, as well as the closure of schools, restaurants, and stores.
“Other hearings into the spill have been announced to be held in Washington, DC. But I felt it was important to bring our Committee to those most directly affected by this fiasco as a key first step in formulating an effective and thorough response. I greatly appreciate the willingness of Chairman Bill Shuster to bring our Committee to West Virginia as part of that effort. We need to understand the facts and we need to get this right.”
WHO: U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall, Members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
WHAT: House Transportation Committee Field Hearing on the Elk River Chemical Spill
WHERE: Kanawha County Courthouse
WHEN: Monday February 10, 2014 at 9:00 a.m.