Buttigieg, under fire for failing to appear at the scene of a fiery derailment and explosion in East Palestine, Ohio, and waiting more than a week to publicly discuss the incident, has sharply criticized the rail industry in recent days, accusing them of putting profits over safety.
“Freight rail companies like Norfolk Southern can remain profitable while maintaining a higher standard of safety and taking better care of their workers,” Buttigieg said on the call with reporters, referring to the railroad whose train derailed in East Palestine, sending chemicals into the air and terrifying locals.
The rail safety proposals — ranging from increasing the size of fines the Department of Transportation can levy against a railroad to pressing the railroads to provide paid sick leave — aim to both push back against a narrative Buttigieg has been MIA from the disaster’s aftermath and to potentially kick-start a push for rail safety legislation in Congress. Any successful push in a divided Congress would likely meet fierce resistance from the rail lobby, a low-key but powerful force.
While the DOT has little role to play in the immediate aftermath of a crash like the one in East Palestine — the Environmental Protection Agency handles cleanup while the independent National Transportation Safety Board leads an investigation — Republicans and conservative media have relentlessly amplified local residents who have questioned why Buttigieg hasn’t shown up.
At the same time, Buttigieg told reporters he planned to visit East Palestine soon. White House officials and the Transportation Department said Buttigieg and other high-profile officials have avoided the village of roughly 4,000 people, located near the border between Ohio and Pennsylvania, because they did not want to interfere with recovery efforts.
Many of Buttigieg’s proposals, including raising the cap on fines the DOT can issue, which currently stands at just over $225,000, will require congressional approval. He also wants Congress to reinstate a 2025 deadline for railroads to use safer tank cars, create new laws to encourage the use of better braking systems, and to limit the use of hazardous, flammable trains.
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