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Ohio Train Derailment Latest Shameful Failure for Biden, Buttigieg

Posted on Thursday, February 16, 2023
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by Shane Harris
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111 Comments

AMAC Exclusive – By Shane Harris

More than 10 days after a train derailment in northeast Ohio sent plumes of toxic black smoke billowing into the sky and potentially poisoned the air and waterways for hundreds of miles in every direction, the country is still without answers as to what caused the disaster and the potential ecological fallout from it. The catastrophe, which has devastated the small community of East Palestine, marks the latest shameful failure from President Joe Biden and his woefully inept Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg.

Just after 9 pm on February 3, a Norfolk-Southern Railroad train carrying toxic chemicals crashed while passing through the village of East Palestine, releasing a flood of vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ethers, and other highly dangerous chemicals. The working-class town has a population of about 5,000 and is situated roughly 20 miles south of Youngstown on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Residents were quickly ordered to evacuate as authorities scrambled to respond.

Nearly two weeks later, many questions remain unanswered, including whether it is truly safe for people to return to their homes. While the EPA and local authorities have said that water and air quality are no longer a concern, photos and videos have surfaced showing thousands of dead fish, frogs, and birds in the area around the crash. Many residents have continued to report a sore throat, burning eyes and nostrils, and an overwhelming smell of chemicals in the air, even as officials say there is no immediate health threat.

It is even unclear whether the water is safe to drink. The Marietta Times, citing “village officials,” said on Tuesday that the tap water in East Palestine is safe to consume. But just hours later, CNN issued a tweet stating that “officials say residents of East Palestine, Ohio should drink bottled water.”

Other social media users in the area have reported contaminated water near their homes, raising concerns that the chemicals from the train could be leaking into local waterways that feed into the Ohio River – a fresh water source for 10% of the country’s population. Those fears seemed to be confirmed on Monday when water quality workers found trace amounts of the chemicals from the crash in the Ohio River near Cincinnati.

One man who raises exotic pets and lives outside the evacuation zone told Newsweek that several of his animals died as a result of exposure to the toxins. Another woman found her chickens dead 10 miles from East Palestine days after the crash.

Conflicting reports have also emerged about the fires caused by the derailment. While a New York Times story published on Tuesday suggested that the derailment itself ignited the burn, an NPR story from February 6 described the fire as a “controlled explosion,” with another local news story citing railroad officials saying that they purposely ignited the chemicals “to keep the tanker cars from exploding on their own.”

Thus far, neither Norfolk-Southern representatives nor government officials have provided any explanation as to why purposely lighting the chemicals on fire, sending clouds of toxic black smoke into the atmosphere for multiple days, was the best alternative. One longtime hazmat technician provided his own analysis: “We basically nuked a town with chemicals so we could get a railroad open.”

Throughout this ordeal, Biden and the ever-elusive Buttigieg have been nowhere to be found. While Biden has repeatedly touted the “Junk Fee Prevention Act” to save money on concert tickets and falsely accused Republicans of wanting to cut Social Security, he has made virtually no mention of the ecological disaster currently destroying the lives of thousands of families in the Midwest – a region Biden claims to care deeply about. At her press conference on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to say anything other than that Biden was “monitoring” the situation, offering no insight as to what the EPA or other federal agencies had actually learned about the crash.

For Buttigieg, the train derailment marks at least the fourth transportation-related disaster to occur under his watch. Just like during the supply chain gridlock and FAA debacle, Buttigieg was missing in action, failing to mention the disaster at all until more than a week had passed. In that time, the Transportation Secretary did, however, find time to crack a joke about the Chinese spy balloon and lament the number of white male construction workers.

Buttigieg finally somewhat addressed the incident on Monday, issuing a tweet saying that he is “concerned about the impacts” of the derailment and “it’s important that families have access to useful & accurate information.” But those well-wishes are likely of little comfort to the millions of Americans potentially affected by the crash who are still in the dark.

Ohio Senator JD Vance slammed both Biden and Buttigieg in an appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight on Monday, saying, “We are ruled by unserious people who are worried about fake problems instead of the real fact that our country is falling apart in some of the most important ways.” Vance referenced the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill passed last year, noting that the spending was focused on “environmental racism and other ridiculous things instead of fixing the problem that they were established to fix.”

There is also still no word yet on what, if any government action will be taken against Norfolk-Southern, which has thus far only announced a meager $1 million in compensation for what is looking to be the long-term destruction of an entire town. Allegations have swirled that the railroad – which is backed by investment giants like BlackRock, Vanguard, and JP Morgan – lobbied for cost-saving changes in safety regulations that made such derailments more likely. Still, no one from the Biden administration has said whether there will be any investigation into what caused the Ohio crash and a slew of other train derailments that have occurred in recent months.

Perhaps all of this should be unsurprising given Democrats’ well-established pattern of using a compliant media to simply ignore problems that they’d rather not address. The walls of government buildings have a long history of drowning out the cries for help from ordinary people – and in recent years the governing class has been particularly deaf to predominately white, working-class people in communities like East Palestine.

For now, it looks as if the men and women in Ohio and Pennsylvania whose lives have been upended are largely on their own.

Shane Harris is a writer and political consultant from Southwest Ohio. You can follow him on Twitter @Shane_Harris_.

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DanM
DanM
1 year ago

Alfred E Newman to the rescue! What me worry?

Gary
Gary
1 year ago

The suspected cause of the derailment is a wrung journal due to a bad wheel bearing. However, no one is allowed to talk about a cause until the NTSB issues they findings. In addition, while the cars are now empty and clean, the NTSB will not allow the derailed cars to be moved until they have finished their investigation. While this may make the scene look like nothing is happening, the RR cleanup contractors have been working day and night to clean up the site and mitigate further environmental damage. Media and administration response has been a political knee jerk reaction. Democrats never want a crisis to go to waste, even if they have to turn this unfortunate accident into a crisis.

A Voter
A Voter
1 year ago

Booty Judge. Besides being gay, his qualifications for the position he was appointed to are what exactly?

Randall L. Beatty
Randall L. Beatty
1 year ago

It goes to show what Biden has put in different positions most know nothing Biden is the worst President in the history of this country. When something goes wrong in this country no one from his cabinet do nothing because they do not care what happens.

Jackie
Jackie
1 year ago

I have no idea why Buttigieg has this job in the first place!! He has no idea what he is doing, no concept of what this job even entails!! I think Joe only put him in there to keep him as a politician for future use!! However, I definitely don’t want him to ever be considered in the running for President!! He is very weak to be a politician!! Biden is corrupt and weak but Buttigieg is just weak!!

Gary
Gary
1 year ago

Impeach him now ! ! What are they waiting for ?

Robert Zuccaro
Robert Zuccaro
1 year ago

Billions being paid out for Camp Lejeune and Iraqi burn pits but some genius in DC decides to burn toxic chemicals in the middle of a town then declare air and water safe? Cliche I know but… “if this were Trump?”… can you imagine Democrat “outrage”? CNN coverage? We can pay for illegals in swank NYC hotels but not one room at Mitel 6? To coin a phrase: COME ON, MAN!

Theresa Coughlin
Theresa Coughlin
1 year ago

Buttigieg and Biden both need to go.

Larry V
Larry V
1 year ago

Buttigieg’s response (or lack of) is just one more example of what America gets when people vote for d’RATs and what happens when a nation tolerates rigged elections. Pothole Pete perfectly exemplifies Biden’s nest & what Soros & his new world order communist cabal have in mind for the USA & all other western nations in my opinion.

D potter
D potter
1 year ago

GET IN THERE AND HELP OUR FELLOW AMERICANS. I would help donate to a well-known ,honest, independent review of the soil, water, and air. I think many others would also. Who do you know that is out there that provides this service? ???? Sure someone reading this has the skills or knows someone who does.

Ralph
Ralph
1 year ago

don’t know about the latest. I have not seen one single thing over the past 2 years from ANYONE in the administration that has done anything right or positive for the AMERICAN citizens.

Butch
Butch
1 year ago

These religious environmental climate change hoaxers are more concerned/worried about CO2 (which is in the natural cycle of life with oxygen) than they are about the massive toxic chemical compounds killing everything around it, in NE Ohio. Astounding! We are being RULED by the corrupt ELITE, not REPRESENTED. They don’t care about us ordinary commoners.

tim
tim
1 year ago

Beijing Biden is slow-rolling any response because he thought the railroad was owned by his paymasters – in China.

tony
tony
1 year ago

Of course Biden and his cronies do not care about the citizens affected. Those citizens are white working-class, which for Democrats is the one group to be most despised.

CJP
CJP
1 year ago

Accusations against Buttegiege regarding the train derailment is another example of a conservative false narrative while ignoring the facts that lobbyists for the railroad industry have fought and won over the last 10 or so years to reduce safety issues as too costly consequently putting all Americans at a higher risk nation wide of more of the same. There are products that can make derailment virtually impossible but the industry fights it at every turn so it is they that bear the responsibility for events like Palestine Oh.

Mike
Mike
1 year ago

It’s nice to know, I think, but what’s to be done? Everyone in the Biden administration is a traitor to our country and yet all there is is talk. We put up with criminals on our streets and call many of them career criminals. Then put them in jail on our dime. I think at one time there was a three strikes and your out policy. Has that changed anything? The only government that will change anything is a monarchy with an incorruptible king. That’s Jesus. I say to the career criminals and traitors “Six strikes and your out and means dead!”

JulianusRex
JulianusRex
1 year ago

The only qualification Buttigieg had for the job is the fact that he is gay and it it apparent he’s learned nothing since his appointment.

Duties
Duties
1 year ago

Where are the climate change lunatics? Well, apparently if there are no taxes to be levied, revenue streams to collect, draconian demands for changes in lifestyle, or votes to garner, no one is interested.

Dale Valenti
Dale Valenti
1 year ago

The first reports included saying an axle on one of the cars had been on fire for 30 miles before the bearings gave way and locked up derailing the train. NS railroad should be taken over by the government and leadership jailed. They burned a town down to clear 2 sets of track.

Michael S.
Michael S.
1 year ago

Unfortunately, Biden and his appointees don’t have a clue about the needs of AMERICA and AMERICANS! They are so busy taking money from foreign governments, countries, and corporations that they don’t have time to do their jobs. Impeachment, financial reparations to AMERICA, and jail sentences for these crimes from their failures to perform their duties should be severe and lengthy PRISON sentences should be MANDATED. And they should serve their time in STATE JAILS, not FEDERAL SPAS. They have made MILLIONS in insider trading and fraudulent activities that are damaging the INTEGRITY OF THIS COUNTRY. They SWORE AN OATH WHEN ELECTED or Appointed to OFFICE. Did they cross their fingers behind their backs? IT APPEARS THIS IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED!!!

Michael Gulotta
Michael Gulotta
1 year ago

Where are all the environmental? Shouldn’t they be screaming about this?

Eric
Eric
1 year ago

Story is like stealing a page out of Atlas Shrugged!!

Barrett Smith
Barrett Smith
1 year ago

Pothole Pete is a train wreck himself.

BAE
BAE
1 year ago

Pete Buttigieg another WOKE silly little man who stirs the pot to get people upset over race. Hey, look over there. He is useless and gets nothing done. I have nothing good to say about this foolish man. He will accomplish nothing for the American taxpayer!

David Millikan
David Millikan
1 year ago

As usual DICTATOR Beijing biden and his Trolls blame PRESIDENT TRUMP for everything they FAIL at and take credit for PRESIDENT TRUMPS ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
This LOSER ILLEGITIMATE administration is RESPONSIBLE for this Disaster just like they are responsible for INCREASED INFLATION and ZERO ENERGY PRODUCTION and ILLEGAL ALIEN TERRORIST INVASION including waiting 8 DAYS to shoot down Communist China SPY Ballon’s (Waiting on Polls) and KNOWING they were LAUNCHED from Communist China a WEEK before they got to U.S. Airspace with MORE of them STILL FLYING around the U.S. and trying to use UFO’s as excuse to cover up DICTATOR Beijing biden’s FAILURE to act immediately.
This is their fault and responsibility which we know the 2 year olds will blame everybody else except themselves.
All Hail Loser DICTATOR Beijing biden and his Trolls.
They FAIL AGAIN.

Jon
Jon
1 year ago

Biden and Buttigieg own this!

Lieutenant Beale
Lieutenant Beale
1 year ago

Sure, we have trains running off the rails and a crumbling infrastructure, but, by golly, we have perversity, uhh, I mean “diversity” in the Transportation Department.

Sherry
Sherry
1 year ago

The original Hanlon’s razor:
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

I believe we are living in a time of “Reverse” Hanlon’s Razor:
“Never attribute to stupidity that which is adequately explained by malice.”

Steve
Steve
1 year ago

Whats it gonna take America. Slick saying you can keep your doctor , keep your plan , your rates won’t go up . Nothing was done !! Whole health care institutions turned upside down all to help 10 million poor people . Over 25, 000 elderly white people died when some nutjob put Whaun patients in nursing homes !! Nothing done about it . Many more examples . People of Palestine get a RV and hire Randy Quad to squirt the toxic gue over the front lawns of all incompetent parties involved. Bus in illegals and minorities and get all the rag Free Press to cover the story then .

Laura
Laura
1 year ago

So typical of this administration. Priorities are completely screwed up! Where is Governor DeWine? If this had happened in Florida, Governor DeSantis would be all over Biden and Buttigieg.

Patti Vlasak
Patti Vlasak
1 year ago

It’s so obvious to many of us. And maybe obvious to a lot more who only feign to back these Dems. This is a horrible report about how life is only precious to certain people. If this had happened near DC or any large metro area, you can bet that Pete’s ankles would be hanging from the rafters. But since East Palestine is a “rural” area, these people and the area around simply just don’t matter. We need to get leaders who take their jobs seriously and do everything they can for their constituents. Until that happens, our country will always be compromised

H.L.Howell
H.L.Howell
1 year ago

Why is no one talking about the chinese police stations in the United States?

Adonis
Adonis
1 year ago

Incompetence and diversity over merit. All is required is to check all woke boxes, nothing else matters.

Gail Tubbs
Gail Tubbs
1 year ago

Please everyone, remember who got Biden elected and who he obeys…..Soros-the highest ranking social progressive there is and the fat hog is very very wealthy and he buys who will destroy America. All true.

Del
Del
1 year ago

It is a wonder to me that the residents of East Palestine, and all of Ohio, are not breaking down the doors of the WH to be heard This is another tragic example of why Biden is a horrific president and his appointees — all of them– are grossly inept and politically appointed, not due to any expertise or ability of their part. That goes from the top down. Anyone supporting Biden anymore has to be insane.

Tim Toroian
Tim Toroian
1 year ago

Buttigieg does look like he should be the cover photo of a revived “MAD” magazine. Does anybody tell him what’s going on around the country?

NewDay
NewDay
1 year ago

Most of Biden’s appointees are progressive “idealists” with no real world experience and who clearly aren’t qualified for the job but they are all owed political favors for supporting Biden and the party line.

anna hubert
anna hubert
1 year ago

Not one reasonable person is in charge only bunch of kids running amok in the candy store and a 12 year old with the car keys

Jeri
Jeri
1 year ago

You write these articles like you think they care. They HATE you. The sooner that is accepted as fact the sooner we can move forward. So until then…here we are.

Rick
Rick
1 year ago

The only subject “Funny Pete” is qualified to talk about is rear end crashes.

George
George
1 year ago

Please remember that Mayor Pete Buttigieg checked all the boxes to be politically correct and woke. That is the important item in the Biden administration. I am certain that Buttigieg is handling this crisis, as he did all the other transportation crises, in a woke manner. He should make a find democratic candidate for president. (SARCASM)

CoNMTX
CoNMTX
1 year ago

So, did anyone expect anything less than failure from Biden and Butthead? Neither has an IQ that would ring the bell. Buttigieg is not qualified to do anything except take a government appointment from Biden. He doesn’t have a clue about his job as transportation secretary. He’s not qualified to clean the White House rest rooms. Does either one care? No. Just continue to destroy America and re-build it socialist under the one-world government.

CLIFFORD F GERACI
CLIFFORD F GERACI
1 year ago

Unfortunately ….it was Trump who reversed an Obama era increase in safety measures requirement as a successful result of the RR Lobbyist trying to save money for the owners and shareholders. I’m a conservative who voted Trump and liked how he governed, but any compromises to the safety of people and the environment should not be tolerated…..and really….after this…have the RR owners only cost themselves more in the long run?

John Bass
John Bass
1 year ago

It sure seems like a lot of train derailments lately, are we sure we not under attack and that it’s not sabotage? I’m sure the current administration would tell us…right?

sdgorton
sdgorton
1 year ago

I repeat “without HONOR America is nothing” which is exactly what this presindency wants and with control over the judiciary & the FBI they have declared that they are above the Law. Our only recourse then is to enforce the laws of the land by FORCE!!!! All law-abiding citizens must STOP WORKING, bring the economy to a stand still and millions of us go and physically put Biden & more importantly his lackies that prop him up, the heads of the FBI and judiciary into a concentration camp permanetly and take back our Country based on the Constitution period!!!

Veteran
Veteran
1 year ago

Buttgeek was the wrong man for mayor, then came Wrong-All-The-Way-Around-China-Joe, of “Traitor Joe’s – Where Everything’s For Sale – est. 2021,” said “hold my beer!” and appointed him Secretary of Transportation, and the manmade disasters now abound! Make impeachment a Two-fer and impeach him and Biden both!

Ann S
Ann S
1 year ago

The people in East Palestine are white and republican, enough said.

sdgorton
sdgorton
1 year ago

I repeat “without HONOR America is nothing” which is exactly what this presindency wants and with control over the judiciary & the FBI they have declared that they are above the Law. Our only recourse then is to (as they are not doing) enforce the laws of the land by FORCE!!!! All law-abiding citizens must STOP WORKING, bring the economy to a stand still and millions of us go and physically put Biden & more importantly his lackies that prop him up, along with the heads of the FBI and judiciary into a concentration camp permanetly and take back our Country based on the Constitution period!!!

Rebecca
Rebecca
1 year ago

I am old enough to remember Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev standing at the podium pounding his shoe on the podium and shouting WE WILL BURY YOU FROM WITHIN. Well folks looks like China has taken that thought and ran with it. How many leaders(?) are in the Chinese pocket. How many times can disasters happen and nothing is done. How many times can riots, killings, robberies happen AND nothing is done. It’s time for people who love this country to stand up and fight back.

Bruce P
Bruce P
1 year ago

The spilled chemicals were highly flammable and toxic, and allowed to spill and flow away, could either cause an even larger pollution problem, or find a distant ignition source and ignite a massive explosion and fire when you least expect it, possibly even killing workers trying to clean up. The situation could possibly have been far worse if it hadn’t lit (or been lit). Once the leak began all of the rules changed for how to handle the chemicals in the safest way. Lesser of two evils probably. An immediate decision had to be made and lighting a fire, or letting one continue to burn might have been the best one to burn off most of the fuel and toxicity. Bad situation.

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