Embattled Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Tuesday he will travel to Ohio “when the time is right” to review the devastating effects of this month’s toxic train derailment amid withering criticism that the Biden administration has been too slow to deal with the catastrophe.
“I am planning to go and our folks were on the ground from the first hours. I do want to stress that the NTSB needs to be able to do its work independently,” Buttigieg said on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” referring to the National Transportation Safety Board.
However, the 41-year-old did not give a specific date for when he would travel to East Palestine, other than saying he would do so “when the time is right.”
Buttigieg said he has dealt with other disasters from his time as the mayor of South Bend, Ind., and found that there are “two kinds of people who show up.”
“People who were there because they have a specific job to do and are there to get something done. And people were there to look good and have their picture taken,” he said.
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
“When I go it will be about action on real safety, like the actions that we are calling on Congress to help us with that we’re calling on industry to take and that we are undertaking ourselves as a department to help make sure that these kinds of things don’t happen in the future,” he continued.
Previous 1 of 7 Next Advertisement A fish lays dead on the ground after the train derailment prompted health concerns. Getty Images Petroleum based chemicals float on the top of the water in Leslie Run creek. Getty Images Advertisement The cleanup of portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed Feb. 3, in East Palestine, Ohio, continues on Feb. 9. AP A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains, on Feb. 6. AP HEPACO workers observe a stream in East Palestine, Ohio as the cleanup continues. AP Advertisement
Buttigieg has not visited East Palestine since a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed on Feb. 3. He made his comments one day before former President Donald Trump said he would visit the area.
The derailment caused thousands of evacuations from the small town and contaminated the air and the water.
This is a developing story.
Buttigieg says he will finally visit Ohio train disaster
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I completely agree with your perspective on this topic It’s refreshing to see someone presenting a balanced and thoughtful viewpoint