Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has still not mentioned the massive train derailment that rocked East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month, even though environmental disaster has potentially sparked an ecological/health crisis impacting more than 300,000 people in the area.
Some members of Congress are demanding a response from the secretary, who appeared at a conference on Monday, but failed to address the situation.
“Time to call in @PeteButtigieg for questioning for what is happened to the great people of Ohio train derailment & toxic chemical spill!” wrote Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.)
“Where is Pete Buttigieg?” tweeted Rep. Maya Flores (R-Texas).
Roughly 50 cars—many of them containing hazardous chemicals—derailed off of a Norfolk Southern freight train on February 3, causing a fire with smoke so thick it could reportedly be seen on the weather radar.
Local authorities conducted a controlled release of the dangerous chemicals to mitigate the risk of an explosion last week, and all residents within one mile of the crash site were evacuated.
The controlled burn “sent phosgene, a highly poisonous gas used as a weapon in World War I, into the surrounding area,” Fox News reported.
Residents were allowed to return to their homes on February 8, although many in the community believe the area is still unsafe due to the toxic chemicals potentially still present in the area.
Why are trains derailing? South Carolina, Texas and now Ohio. Where is Pete Buttigieg? Oh right, he is busy calling "roads racist." #Tucker pic.twitter.com/PUiIZLpE5d
— James Rossi 🇺🇸 (@realjamesrossi) February 14, 2023
Tucker: "[Pete Buttigieg] seemed to have no idea that there was a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. His real concern is that we have too many damn white construction workers in this country. Here's a guy who at gunpoint could not change a car tire, oversees our roads." pic.twitter.com/wlywocUBdb
— Kevin Tober (@KevinTober94) February 14, 2023
