Buttigieg to Visit East Palestine on Thursday

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio – Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will visit the village Thursday to meet with community members affected by the Norfolk Southern train derailment.

During his visit, Buttigieg will receive an update on the ongoing investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. He’ll also hear from Department of Transportation investigators who were on the ground in the hours after the Feb. 3 derailment and are supporting the NTSB investigation.

He’ll be joined by Amit Bose, Federal Railroad Administration administrator, and Tristan Brown, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration deputy administrator.

Buttigieg’s visit comes after the Environmental Protection Agency, which is the agency leading federal response efforts in East Palestine, announced Tuesday that response efforts would transition from their “emergency phase” to a longer-term remediation phase.

Also Tuesday, Buttigieg announced a package of reforms to improve railroad safety. A full list of railroad industry reforms that the secretary and the Department of Transportation have called for can be viewed HERE. 

Buttigieg sent a letter to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw on Sunday, warning him that the company must “demonstrate unequivocal support for the people” of East Palestine.

Pictured at top: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks during a press conference on the seawall at the Civic Center in Lake Charles, La., on Feb. 9, 2023. (Rick Hickman | American Press via AP)

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.