Pete Buttigieg Addresses Ohio Train Disaster as Just One of ‘1,000 Cases a Year’

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg addressed the ongoing fallout from the Ohio train disaster that took place on Feb. 3.

Buttigieg has been criticized for what some are calling a slow federal response to the derailment.

In an interview with Yahoo Finance Live’s Julie Hyman, Buttigieg was asked about the issues still plaguing Ohio residents who now fear the toxic chemicals from the 50-car derailment could lead to bigger environmental concerns.

“I know the EPA is investigating. I know it’s early now. We don’t know exactly what happened. But from your perspective, what can the Transportation Department do to make sure this kind of stuff doesn’t happen?” Hyman asked.

“The most urgent thing right now is to make sure that these residents get the information that they need. They’re concerned, they are frightened, and with good reason. They had their lives upended through no fault of their room, and now want to know if their homes, their neighborhoods, their schools are safe,” Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg said it was a joint effort between the EPA and the state of Ohio “when it comes to things like testing the air, testing the water, testing the ground.”

As for the investigation, Buttigieg insisted that the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation is being supported by his department.

“Look, rail safety is something that has evolved a lot over the years, but there’s clearly more that needs to be done because while this horrible situation has gotten a particularly high amount of attention, there are roughly 1,000 cases a year of a train derailing,” Buttigieg said.

“Obviously they have levels of severity, but where all of that points us to, is a need to continue to raise the bar on rail safety. And that’s especially true when it comes to a rail that involves hazardous materials. Now, this train was subject to certain enhanced requirements because of hazardous materials on board, but obviously, none of that prevented what happened in East Palestine,” he concluded.

Watch above via Yahoo Finance Live.