Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg admitted that he could have provided a swifter response to the Ohio train derailment that resulted in chemical toxins being released into the environment.
Buttigieg recently sent a letter to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw that the company must be held responsible for the incident, “demonstrate unequivocal support for the people” affected by the train derailment, and work to support increased rail safety standards.
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However, Buttigieg said in an interview with NewsNation on Tuesday that the timing of the Transportation Department’s response could have been better.
“I do think that it’s important to speak out about that, and I could have spoken out sooner,” said Buttigieg, who had come under fire after he appeared to be silent on the incident. “And I’m making sure that we are focused on the actions that are going to make a difference.”
Though he admitted his response could have been swifter, he insisted that the Transportation Department was “on the ground within hours” helping with both the response and the investigation, which is being conducted by National Transportation Safety Board.
He said if the investigation uncovers any violation, the department will hold Norfolk Southern accountable.
“We’re going to wait for them to have their investigations before we say anything about root causes, but I don’t think we have to wait in order to take these steps that we know are the right thing to do on rail safety,” Buttigieg said.
He has previously blamed the Trump administration for repealing proposed safety regulations and said on Tuesday that one of the frozen regulations included having more than one engineer on each train.
“We have been pushing since, really since we got here to get that out the door, and we’re working through the legal process to get that finalized right now,” Buttigieg said.
The secretary added that he wants to continue to work with Congress to ensure more accountability for freight rail service, such as stronger types of tank cars and higher fines for safety violations that result in death.
“Now’s the chance to see if they’re willing to work with us on a bipartisan basis to get something real done,” Buttigieg said.
As an immediate response, Buttigieg said the department is stepping up inspection programs for trains carrying hazardous materials, but he added that it is also asking companies to take initiative “without us making them.”
“I think one of the ways that America can do right by the people of East Palestine and people everywhere in the country who live near rail lines is to make sure that we’re moving forward, not backward, on accountability and safety for freight rail companies,” he said.
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Other departments, including some from the Biden administration, have responded to the incident. The Department of Health and Human Services, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, deployed a team of medical personnel and toxicologists to East Palestine, Ohio, where the derailment occurred.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced on Tuesday that it would take control of the response to the derailment and ordered Norfolk Southern to clean up the contamination.
