Buttigieg Faces Tough Questions on Rail Safety From Republican Senators

Cleanup continues at the site of the Norfolk Southern Railway train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. (Jeff Louderback/The Epoch Times)

Two Republican senators are calling on Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to account for “oversight” of the freight train system in the wake of the derailment in Ohio on Feb. 3.

A 50-railcar Norfolk Southern freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, made headlines after 11 of the 20 cars carrying vinyl chloride and other potentially toxic chemicals caused a hazardous chemical spill.

Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) asserted in their Feb. 15 letter that in addition to the vinyl chloride, which is classified as a human carcinogen, the other chemicals are leaching into the surrounding air and water.

“While railroad crews drained and burned chemicals to prevent a major explosion, concerns have grown in the weeks since of significant damage to the health of the surrounding environment and communities in the region,” the letter stated.

The lawmakers cited mechanical failure in one of the cars as a possible culprit for the derailment, saying that rail workers have blown the whistle on the precision-scheduled railroading (PSR) used by rail companies to drive down cost as potentially dangerous.

“We have voiced concerns with PSR, as well as with this administration’s prioritizing of efficiency over resilience in its national infrastructure and transportation systems,” the senators said in their letter.

“Derailments have reportedly increased in recent years, as has the rate of total accidents or safety-related incidents per track mile. The trade-off for Class I rail companies, of course, has been reduced labor costs, having shed nearly one-third of their workforce.”

The senators called for Buttigieg to answer questions about the Department of Transportation’s position on several safety-related issues within the next 30 days.

Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) also called on Buttigieg to take a closer look at the derailment, saying in a Feb. 13 tweet that a congressional inquiry would be needed, along with direct action from Buttigieg due to the “significant negative impact on the health and wellbeing” of local residents.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during a Feb. 14 press conference that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) believes a wheel bearing could be the culprit in the incident, as The Epoch Times previously reported.

Jean-Pierre’s statement detailed the local and federal responses, including the NTSB, without mentioning Buttigieg.

“The EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] is working hand-in-glove with the State of Ohio,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. The press secretary said the Biden administration “has been in close touch with local officials to ensure they have what they need and that their needs are being met.”

The Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to the Epoch Times’s request for comment.