Buttigieg Visits Ohio Town Weeks After Devastating Train Crash As Bipartisan Criticism Mounts

Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg On Thursday morning, almost three weeks after being awoken, I went to East Palestine, Ohio. train derailment Chemical fallout caused the destruction of the small town. Residents are frustrated that the issue has not been dealt with by the authorities. Biden administration.

Local and state authorities had previously evacuated all residents within a mile of the February 3, derailment. started A controlled burn of industrial chemicals was performed on the vehicle in order to reduce the possibility of an explosion. Five train cars emit massive plumes of smoke from vinyl chloride (a known human carcinogen that is used in the manufacture of PVC), which can be seen throughout eastern Ohio, and western Pennsylvania.

According to a report, Buttigieg arrived in East Palestine in the early hours of February 23rd. Report CBS News. The outlet was informed by the former Democratic presidential candidate that he had not visited the community sooner in order to allow the National Transportation Safety Board (and other federal agencies) space. “lead the safety work,” He said that this is the usual practice for officials in his position. “But I am very eager to have conversations with people in East Palestine about how this has impacted them.”

Buttigieg’s visit comes just one day after the departure of former President Donald Trump Arrived In the town, he distributed several pallets worth of bottled water and thousands of gallons cleaning supplies to residents. Former commander-in-chief is running for a second term at the White House. He also raised concerns about the Biden administration’s response.

Buttigieg, who oversaw several high-profile infrastructure projects during his tenure, stated earlier in the week that it was possible for him to visit East Palestine “when the time is right.” He Contended You can find out more about social media “some in Washington” You would like his visit to be at the “main focus so that there aren’t too many questions about rail safety regulation, who is for and who is against.”

Buttigieg was criticized by lawmakers for not mentioning the train derailment publicly for more than a week after it occurred. Residents began reporting symptoms like persistent headaches, nausea and rashes. Republicans and Democrats, including Sen. J.D. Vance (R.OH) pushed Buttigieg towards the crisis and criticized senior officials for not focusing on it. Response The derailment.

Buttigieg finally Public comments A social media post on the subject on February 13 stated that he is addressing it. “concerned about the impacts” The impact of the derailment upon local families “in the ten days since their lives were upended through no fault of their own.” He also He “wanted to share” Biden Administration rail safety efforts and promoted “historic investments on rail safety” Allocated through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Norfolk Southern has released vinyl chloride. Beware The EPA stated that a variety of chemicals, including ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, and ethylhexyl acrylate were found at the site. After residents were informed they could return home, the EPA published the complete list. It also insisted that water and air quality had not been adversely affected by the incident. A team of Daily Wire producers and journalists visited East Palestine last week. reported A persistent smell in the air, an oily sheen in local rivers and creeks, and symptoms such a sore throat and headaches that can only be triggered by prolonged time spent in the small town.

Although President Joe Biden hasn’t yet visited East Palestine, he made a clandestine visit to Ukraine Monday to show solidarity with the country’s war effort against Russia. Trent Conaway (East Palestine mayor) described the mission in Ukraine as “a very important and meaningful one.” “slap in the face” An article Interview Fox News. “He doesn’t care about us,” He added.