Buttigieg visits East Palestine as NTSB is set to release initial derailment report

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is visiting on Thursday the Ohio city that is dealing with the fallout of a train derailment earlier this month that spilled hazardous chemicals.

“This morning I’m in East Palestine, Ohio, to see the site of the Norfolk Southern derailment, hear updates from investigators, and meet first responders. USDOT will continue its work to ensure safety and accountability,” the secretary said on Twitter.

Buttigieg came to East Palestine a day after former President Trump visited the town and as the Biden administration has faced criticism for not heading to eastern Ohio sooner. 

The White House has not yet said if President Biden, who just returned from a trip to Ukraine and Poland, will visit. Meanwhile, the White House has blamed Republican lawmakers and the Trump administration for lax railway and environmental regulations in the aftermath of the derailment.

The Transportation Department defended the timing of the secretary’s trip, saying in a statement on Wednesday that Buttigieg wanted to “go when it is appropriate and wouldn’t detract from the emergency response efforts.”

Buttigieg was set to meet with community members affected by the derailment, receive an update on the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) investigation and hear from investigators on the ground, according to the Transportation Department.

The NTSB is expected to issue its initial findings from the investigation into the derailment later Thursday.