In Ohio, a huge smoke column rose from the train derailment and chemical fire that followed. Sign the petition demanding Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg immediately use his existing power to make safety rules much stronger, so that rail workers and communities across America are protected.

UPDATED: More than two weeks after the massive Norfolk Southern train derailment and toxic chemical fire in Ohio, The New Republic reports "People in East Palestine and neighboring towns are suffering from respiratory issues, skin reactions, and more, while animals have been found dead."

Hundreds of miles downriver, the Cincinnati water company has announced it will temporarily close intake valves to the Ohio River and switch to water reserves when the chemicals reach the city.

And Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is facing new questions about why two years into the job he has done nothing to reinstate safety rules put in place by President Obama to prevent this, but then gutted by Donald Trump after corrupt corporate lobbying.

Please sign our petition demanding Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg immediately use his existing power to make safety rules much stronger, so that rail workers and communities across America are protected. Sign here.

In 2017, when Trump gutted train safety rules that would have required new braking technology on certain trains with hazardous cargo, officials in his government said the costs would outweigh the benefits.

In 2018, The Associated Press found that the study Trump officials cited was deeply flawed -- by over $100 million.

A former federal safety official recently warned Congress that without the better brakes, "there will be more derailments [and] more releases of hazardous materials."

But The Lever reports, "Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg’s department has not moved to reinstate an Obama-era rail safety rule aimed at expanding the use of better braking technology."

The director of the Revolving Door Project tells The Nation, "An engaged secretary of transportation would have begun the process of reanalyzing the costs and benefits of a new braking rule on their first day in office. It should not take a tragedy to get him focused on the responsibilities of his office." The Revolving Door Project scrutinizes executive branch appointees to ensure they use their office to serve the broad public interest, rather than to entrench corporate power.

The Nation also reports that "industry watchers and union activists have suggested multiple ways Buttigieg could use his existing power to ramp up the regulation of the railroad industry."

But The Nation questions whether Buttigieg even wants to act, adding, "Buttigieg’s policy paralysis is a matter of choice, not structural barriers. It’s hardly surprising that Buttigieg, whose résumé includes time as a McKinsey consultant, is allergic to government regulation of industry."

For his part, after being silent on the derailment for 10 days, Pete put out a Tweet calling for "accountability" -- but he is the one who can do something to hold accountable greedy corporations who cut corners. Accountability by Tweet only will not do.

Please join concerned Americans across the nation on our petition demanding Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg immediately use his existing power to challenge corporate interests and make safety rules much stronger, so our people are protected. Sign here.

Thanks for being a bold progressive.

-- The PCCC Team (@BoldProgressive)

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