Ohio train derailment has Vance and Rubio demanding answers from Buttigieg
Samantha-Jo Roth
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Sens. JD Vance (R-OH) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg requesting more information on the Department of Transportation’s “oversight of the United States’ freight train system.”
The two senators are questioning the department’s efforts “to balance safety and hyper-efficiency” in relation to the train derailment in East Palestine on Feb 3. The derailment caused the release of vinyl chloride and other chemicals into the area surrounding East Palestine.
OHIO TRAIN DERAILMENT: ILHAN OMAR AND TED CRUZ FIND RARE AGREEMENT OVER TOXIC ACCIDENT
“It is not unreasonable to ask whether a crew of two rail workers, plus one trainee, is able to effectively monitor 150 cars,” the senators write in their letter.
“While officials at the department’s Federal Railroad Administration have said that data are inconclusive when it comes to the effects of PSR on rail safety, derailments have reportedly increased in recent years, as has the rate of total accidents or safety-related incidents per track mile.”
Buttigieg is facing increasing scrutiny in the aftermath of the train derailment from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
In a tweet, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) called for a congressional investigation and “direct action” from Buttigieg to address the problem.
https://twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/1625265520638304259?s=20
Earlier in the week, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) called on Buttigieg to “ensure this never happens again.”
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) slammed Buttigieg’s lack of national visibility in the wake of the train derailment, writing in a tweet, “Pete Buttigieg is always first in line to spew radical Green New Deal talking points, but when a train derailment causes one of the worst environmental disasters in history, he’s silent for 10 days.”
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https://twitter.com/SecretaryPete/status/1625628605861462016?s=20
Buttigieg responded in a Twitter thread on Tuesday, saying that Congress placed limits on how the Transportation Department can regulate rail safety. The National Transportation Safety Board, along with other federal and state agencies, is leading the investigation into the derailment.