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EAST PALESTINE -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will travel to East Palestine Thursday to meet with community members affected by the Norfolk Southern hazardous train derailment.
His office stated Buttigieg will get an update on the ongoing investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is expected to issue its initial findings on Thursday.
He also will hear from USDOT investigators who were on the ground in the hours after the Norfolk Southern derailment and are supporting the NTSB investigation.
Buttigieg will be joined by Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Amit Bose and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown.
His visit comes after the Environmental Protection Agency, which is the agency leading federal response efforts in East Palestine, on Tuesday announced response efforts would transition from their "emergency phase" to a longer-term remediation phase.
The visit also comes as there is newfound bipartisan support for long-term accountability and policy changes ramps up, his office stated in a news release.
On Tuesday, Buttigieg issued a set of actions that USDOT, the rail industry, and Congress could take immediately--without waiting for the NTSB's report on East Palestine-- to increase rail safety on the tracks that run through communities across the country.
These steps would include allowing USDOT to give out much stiffer penalties for rail safety regulations violations and reversing a delay to the rail industry's deadline to use more robust rail cars carrying hazardous materials.
Buttigieg has also directed FRA staff to speed up work on its final rule requiring at least two crew members on trains, a requirement long resisted by the rail industry and some members of Congress.
He also reminded Norfolk Southern's CEO about the "urgent need for Norfolk Southern to demonstrate unequivocal support for the people of East Palestine and the surrounding areas."
Tuesday, the U.S. EPA announced that it was requiring Norfolk Southern to conduct all necessary actions associated with the cleanup from its derailment. This includes: cleaning up contaminated soil and water, paying for cleaning of homes and businesses on demand, attending and participating in public meetings at EPA's request, and posting information online and paying for the costs of EPA's work on the site.