In Face of Criticism, Buttigieg Blames Trump for Ohio Train Derailment

Pete Buttigieg, Transportation Secretary Trump’s reversal of a lesser-known safety rule has been a part of the blame in the derailment of a train transporting toxic chemicals in Ohio.

Buttigieg pointed out Tuesday evening that his agency has taken a number of steps to improve safety on the rails. “historic investments,” But it claimed that it was restricted by Trump administration actions. 2018 Department of Transportation (DOT). A rule that required trains transporting certain chemicals to use electronic controlled pneumatic (ECP brakes) was withdrawn three years ago. The technology’s benefits were not conclusive.

“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.

“We’re constrained by law on some areas of rail regulation (like the braking rule withdrawn by the Trump administration in 2018 because of a law passed by Congress in 2015), but we are using the powers we do have to keep people safe,” The transportation secretary was added. “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.”

OHIO TRAIN DERAILMENT ADDS ON BUTTIGIEG’S GROWING LIST of SLOW RESPONSES, AFTER HE WAITED 10 DAYS FOR ADDRESS

President Biden (left) selected Pete Buttigieg as the Department of Transportation’s leader early in his presidency. ( Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

A train carrying vinyl chloride (a deadly colorless gas) was transported by Norfolk Southern Railroad on Feb. 3. Columbiana County Ohio, derailedIt is located at the Ohio-Pennsylvania frontier.

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Norfolk Southern released the gas from the derailed vehicles shortly after the incident. It could potentially release deadly fumes into air and prevent an explosion. Residents were advised to leave the area but told that they could return on February 9.

Officials from Ohio, Norfolk Southern, and the Environmental Protection Agency conducted air monitoring in eastern Ohio. They reported that the results were positive. The air is safe to inhale. Experts and locals worry that it would be unsafe to return to the region.

Residents living close to the Ohio train derailment site that led to the controlled release toxic chemicals fear returning home. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

“The railroad company is responsible for this and for these people who went back to their homes,” Fox News spoke to Sil Caggiano, who is a local hazardous material specialist. “Their homes should have been tested. Their homes should have been cleaned. From the onset, these people were being marginalized in an effort to mitigate this.”

“This really looks like a nuclear winter,” He concluded. “Pretty much, yeah, we nuked this town with chemicals.”

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Buttigieg is being blasted in the meantime His slow response to the derailment. He waited 10 business days before addressing the problem, promising to “use all relevant authorities to ensure accountability and continue to support safety.”

Trump’s rule-change Buttigieg was partly to blame after Congress passed the Fixing America’s Surface Transport Act, which former President Barack Obama signed in December 2015. 

According to the Government Publishing Office, the legislation created a new process for the DOT, which included independent study and testing. This was to be used in the development of an updated regulatory impact analysis. 2018 was the DOT’s statement that ECP brake requirements are not likely to prove cost-effective in any scenario.

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“When [the National Transportation Safety Board] completes its investigation of the cause of the derailment, which is still being investigated, [the Federal Railroad Administration] and [the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration] will look to the investigation results and use all relevant authorities to ensure accountability and improve safety,” Fox News Digital was informed Wednesday by a spokesperson for the DOT. 

“On the rule, in 2015, Republicans in the House and Senate required a cost-benefit analysis that allowed for the Trump administration to repeal the rule in 2017 and now makes it challenging to reinstate the rule in its previous configuration — due to threats of litigation and opposition in Congress,” The statement was continued.

“After the 2015 rule was issued, the rule including the RIA was challenged in 5 different Federal Circuits, and Congress quickly moved to vitiate the rule, making it more difficult under the Administrative Procedure Act to revisit the basis for advancing a rule. However, pending the results of the investigation into the derailment, FRA and PHMSA will evaluate action to prevent this from happening again.”

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