No fatalities or injuries have been reported in Ohio – but that’s not why locals are worried. Hazardous material shipment created a massive political headache for the Biden administration. While the administration has sought to counter the criticism, it has also acknowledged the frustrations of residents about everything from health risks to the regulation of railroads.
Not everyone was comfortable with the EPA administrator’s assurance that their municipal water and air were safe based on ongoing tests. Elected leaders in both parties have said the White House should have acted more swiftly to the rail disaster. The investigators have said that incident led to the spill of toxic hazardous. Some of the Republican Party’s right-wing has used the incident to chastise the Biden administration and in particular, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. But more criticism was leveled Thursday from a member of the president‘s own party.
The U.S. Sparks Concern Of Long-Term Health Impact In Ohio
The aggressive rebuttal came as former President Donald Trump visited East Palestine, Ohio on Wednesday and Republicans increasingly attack the Biden administration. Among safety rollbacks cited by the White House, the Trump administration withdrew a 2015 proposal to require advanced braking systems on trains carrying highly flammable materials, ended regular safety audits of railroads, and scrapped a proposal to require at least two crew members on freight trains.
Congressional Republicans ‘laid the groundwork ’ for the Trump administration to tear up requirements for more effective train breaks and accused House Republicans of wanting to ‘defund our abilities to protect drinking water ’. While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Transportation Board continue to investigate the derailment, residents of East Palestine, Ohio have complained about raised environmental fears of long-term effects.