Trending
There was more than a grain of truth in some critics' assertion that President Joe Biden's arrival in East Palestine, Ohio last Friday was nothing more than a campaign stop that came a year too late to do any real good for residents of that community. Nevertheless, he did visit and praised the "Herculean efforts" to rebuild at the site.
"We're not going home, no matter what, until this job is done, and it's not done yet," Biden said of the federal government.
Good. Let us hope he and the heads of agencies involved continue to fulfill that obligation and help the East Palestine community not just rebuild, but thrive.
But the visit provided an opportunity for Biden to address another point:
"While there are acts of God, this was an act of greed that was 100% preventable," Biden said after local officials briefed him on the cleanup and took him to the site of the derailment. "Let me say it again, an act of greed that was 100% preventable."
Greed? That's a stretch. A National Transportation Safety Board report last spring showed the fiery derailment in East Palestine was caused by an overheating bearing on one of the railcars. It's pure election-year rhetoric that led Biden to accuse Norfolk Southern of greed. The derailment has cost the company more than $1 billion. Norfolk Southern and its response can be characterized in many ways, but labeling it as "greed" is nonsense.
The other end of the derailment and its aftermath continues to play out in Congress. Shortly after the derailment, U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and JD Vance, R-Ohio, sponsored legislation that would require stronger protective measures and safety reforms for trains carrying hazardous material. Most members of Congress showed where their true loyalties are and have done nothing with the bill pushed by Vance and Brown.
During his visit, Biden called on them to pass the legislation; and to make sure no one will have to pay federal taxes on compensation they received from Norfolk Southern.
On those matters, they should listen to Biden. Tougher rail safety regulations could have prevented what happened in East Palestine. Inaction now by Congress sets the stage for a similar disaster to happen again.
Rail safety reform is a no brainer. There should be no debate.
Then again, given that we're relying on Congress on this one, maybe that's precisely the problem. It's time to put aside supposed ideological differences between the two parties and start once again working for America. Anything less is unacceptable.