Array
House Republicans are launching a probe of U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s response to the Feb. 3 derailment of a freight train that resulted in toxic chemicals being released into the air, water, and soil in Ohio.
In a letter to Buttigieg, 21 GOP lawmakers from the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability expressed concerns about the “slow pace” of the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) response, and its impact on the environment and public health.
The letter also questions the DOT’s alleged failure to ensure safe and reliable transport infrastructure in the United States.
“This incident is an environmental and public health emergency that now threatens Americans across state lines,” the lawmakers wrote. “Despite the [DOT’s] responsibility to ensure safe and reliable transport in the United States, you ignored the catastrophe for over a week.”
Buttigieg did not publicly address the derailment until 10 days after the fact. During a visit to East Palestine on Thursday, he admitted this was a mistake.
“The American people deserve answers as to what caused the derailment, and DOT needs to provide an explanation for its leadership’s apathy in the face of this emergency,” the lawmakers added.
The lawmakers asked the DOT to provide documents and information about how it handled the train derailment and the resulting environmental and public health emergency. Specifically, they want to know when Buttigieg became aware of the incident.
The letter requested any updates or modifications to DOT’s train maintenance and procedures. It also asked for an update on the NTSB’s investigation into the cause of the derailment, and for information on how the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration handles hazardous materials.
After the train derailed, crews burned off the toxic chemicals in a “controlled release” to avoid an explosion. These included the cancer-causing vinyl chloride transported in the train cars.
The lawmakers noted concerns about how this event created a “massive smoke plume” that stayed above the town of East Palestine for several hours.
