Staff Reports
The toxic train derailment catastrophe in East Palestine, Ohio has been a cause of concern for many, putting added pressure on the Biden administration to respond. Pete Buttigieg, the Cabinet official responsible for overseeing the U.S. railway system, has been evading accountability and instead holding Donald Trump accountable. However, his recent excuse was debunked by Breitbart soon after its release.
We’re constrained by law on some areas of rail regulation (like the braking rule withdrawn by the Trump administration in 2018 because of a law passed by Congress in 2015), but we are using the powers we do have to keep people safe. https://t.co/xRyyYpGOwd
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) February 14, 2023
Buttigieg claimed that the U.S. government was restricted in imposing specific regulations that could have potentially averted the extensive derailment as a result of a “braking” rule implemented during the Trump administration. However, Breitbart discredited this assertion by highlighting that the rule would not have been relevant to the train that derailed in East Palestine on February 3. Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, Jennifer Homendy, confirmed that the directive would have only been relevant to high-hazard flammable trains, and since the train was not classified under this category, the rule would have had no effect in this particular scenario.
Local and state residents in East Palestine are deeply concerned about the potential impact of the recent train derailment on their drinking water and overall health. Many have shared videos and photos of dead and sick wildlife, as well as chemical sheens on local water sources. In response to the situation, former President Donald Trump has announced that he plans to visit the area.
The Biden administration finally approved a FEMA response to the disaster on Friday, two weeks after the incident occurred. However, this response may not be enough to address the long-term effects of the derailment. The East Palestine community is still in need of assistance and accountability from the U.S. government in order to ensure that their health and safety are being protected.
The East Palestine community needs the Biden administration to take accountability for the derailment disaster and allocate necessary resources to the area. It’s crucial for the government to act promptly to avoid similar calamities in the future. The residents’ voices in East Palestine are essential, and the U.S. government should listen to and address their concerns. It’s time for the Biden administration to take the lead and implement measures to guarantee that no other community has to go through a similar catastrophe.
The preceding article is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Conservative Institute
