Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Visits East Palestine, Ohio to Address Train Derailment Concerns and Ensure Safety of Nation’s Transportation System

On Thursday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will travel to East Palestine, Ohio, to visit the site of a train derailment that occurred on February 3. The derailment involved a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals, sparking serious concerns about the health and environmental risks to the local residents.

The visit comes after Buttigieg faced criticism for not speaking out sooner about the incident. He told reporters earlier this week that he would visit “when the time is right” but was deferring to the National Transportation Safety Board and its investigation first.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has now said that it is moving out of the emergency response phase and transitioning to the long-term remediation phase, prompting Buttigieg’s visit. He has said that not speaking out sooner about the incident is a “lesson learned”.

The derailment has raised questions about the safety of transporting hazardous materials by rail, and Buttigieg is expected to address these concerns during his visit. He will also meet with local officials and residents to discuss the incident and the ongoing cleanup efforts.

The visit is part of the Department of Transportation’s ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of the nation’s transportation system. It is also an opportunity for Buttigieg to demonstrate his commitment to addressing the concerns of the local community and ensuring that similar incidents do not occur in the future.