Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday partly blamed the Trump administration for the recent derailment of a train carrying hazardous chemicals in Ohio. At issue is the reversal of a certain regulation passed by Congress before Trump became president.
On February 3, the partial derailment of a long freight train near East Palestine, Ohio, sparked a blaze, releasing the toxins into the area and forcing evacuations of residents nearby. Buttigieg’s office did not respond to the incident for days.
On Tuesday, ten days after the derailment, Buttigieg touted the progress his agency has made to enhance rail safety. But he added they they have been handicapped by former president Trump’s move in 2018 to withdraw a rule pertaining to braking systems for trains transporting dangerous chemicals. He didn’t explain why the Biden administration has never reinstated the rule.
“In the wake of the East Palestine derailment and its impact on hundreds of residents, we’re seeing lots of newfound or renewed (and welcome) interest in our work on rail safety, so I wanted to share more about what we’ve been doing in this area,” Buttigieg tweeted.
In 2018, Trump’s Department of Transportation repealed a 2015 rule mandating that trains hauling highly flammable crude oil be equipped with special brakes that stop all rail cars simultaneously. The advanced brakes were designed also to keep more tank cars on the track in the event that a derailment occurs.
“We’re constrained by law on some areas of rail regulation (like the braking rule withdrawn by the Trump administration in 2018 because of a law passed by Congress in 2015), but we are using the powers we do have to keep people safe,” Buttigieg said. “And of course, I’m always ready to work with Congress on furthering (or in some cases, restoring) our capacity to address rail safety issues.”
The train in Ohio was carrying, among other toxic chemicals, vinyl chloride, which is linked to increased risk for a number of cancers. The contents of the train were then burned, in a “controlled fire,” to prevent an explosion. Norfolk Southern, the transportation company that operated the train, conducted a “controlled release” of the colorless gas.
Buttigieg came under fire from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for his extended silence on the disaster.
“He jokes about balloons while ignoring East Palestine, OH,” former Democratic Ohio state Senator Nina Turner tweeted in reaction to a video of Buttigieg joking about the Chinese spy balloon that was downed last week by the U.S. military. “We deserve better than this.”
Former Republican representative Mayra Flores tweeted Monday, “Where is Pete Buttigieg? How will this Ohio train derailment affect our farmers, the nearby population, and our supply chain for Americans?”