Sorry about suffocating your entire community under a toxic, burning mushroom cloud. Here's $5. We good?

[fooferdoggie]

On Monday (6 February), the village of East Palestine, Ohio, saw a dark and toxic mushroom cloud erupt due to a railway derailment, leading residents to evacuate their homes.

And now Norfolk Southern, the railroad company that was responsible for emitting the toxic vinyl chloride, has offered a $25,000 donation to assist the area’s population of nearly 5,000 people - which works out at only $5 a person.

A press release from the railroad company read: “We have established a Family Assistance Center to address the needs of the community and support those directly impacted. Additionally, we are supporting the efforts of the American Red Cross and their temporary community shelters through a $25,000 donation.”

Railroad offering just $5-per-resident after derailment caused toxic mushroom cloud

On Monday (6 February), the village of East Palestine, Ohio, saw a dark and toxic mushroom cloud erupt due to a railway derailment, leading residents to evacuate their homes.And now Norfolk Southern, the railroad company that was responsible for emitting the toxic vinyl chloride, has offered a...

www.indy100.com

 

[Herdfan]

Wow.

I know the water company in Huntington, WV is monitoring the water for the chemicals from that spill even though it was 10 miles or so from the Ohio River.

 

[Clix Pix]

When I was a child I lived in a small town not too far from East Palestine, within the same county, but far enough away not to have been affected. What happened there in East Palestine definitely is devastating to a lot of the population of that town and close-by adjacent communities, since it is in what is often called "the Rust Belt". Poverty is a major issue there and throughout that general area.

 

[NT1440]

Basically America’s Bhopal incident.

A lot of people are going to die from this in the coming years. This entire area needs to be evacuated, this chemical is insanely dangerous and now in the water cycle, so it’s just going to keep spreading in the surrounding area.

“Weird” it hasn’t been all over the news every day. Probably 3 minutes total coverage on the major networks…

 

[Roller]

Basically America’s Bhopal incident.

A lot of people are going to die from this in the coming years. This entire area needs to be evacuated, this chemical is insanely dangerous and now in the water cycle, so it’s just going to keep spreading in the surrounding area.

“Weird” it hasn’t been all over the news every day. Probably 3 minutes total coverage on the major networks…

I don't know if MSNBC is considered a major network, but Medhi Hasan had a segment about this yesterday evening. The expert he interviewed said much the same thing as you're saying, including the likelihood that the chemicals and their by-products are entering the water table. Hasan also criticized Pete Buttigieg for not commenting sooner.

 

[Clix Pix]

I learned about it in The Washington Post shortly after it happened, so it made the paper here, and probably in the NYT as well. The town where I lived is right on the Ohio River, so indeed if the chemicals have now infiltrated the water table, then it will be affected, as well as the towns across the river from it in West Virginia, too.

 

[Eric]

Oopsie...

 

[NT1440]

Oopsie...

Yup.

Also, the industry is STILL not compliant with electronic braking nearly 20 years after it was mandated.

There seems to only be one direction these regulations go regardless if the party in power. Mayor Pete is not pushing for compliance on that front.

That wouldn’t have stopped this incident, but we’ve had plenty of derailments (some high profile) that are the direct result of these systems not being in place well after the deadline.

“There Will Be More Derailments”

Pete Buttigieg’s Transportation Department has not moved to revive an Obama-era safety rule that could help prevent future train accidents.

www.levernews.com

 

[Herdfan]

“Weird” it hasn’t been all over the news every day. Probably 3 minutes total coverage on the major networks…

Yes it is.

What is being hidden or who is being covered for?

 

[Herdfan]

I learned about it in The Washington Post shortly after it happened, so it made the paper here, and probably in the NYT as well. The town where I lived is right on the Ohio River, so indeed if the chemicals have now infiltrated the water table, then it will be affected, as well as the towns across the river from it in West Virginia, too.

It was initially covered when it happened, but little since then on the fallout.

Like I mentioned, Huntington is monitoring it and it is approximately 200 miles downriver.

At least Huntington has a fall back in that there is a full connection with Charleston that gets it water from the Elk.

But we lived this about 10 years ago when there was a chemical spill into the Elk and the warning system didn't identify it in time and it contaminated the drinking water for 300,000 people. I know people who still today drink nothing but bottled water at home because of it. Fortunately I live in a PSD area, so we pay higher rates, but have our own reservoir and were unaffected.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

The plume tests revealed high levels of toxic masculinity that can result in increased domestic violence, gun purchases, and a belief that 90% of your taxes go to poor lazy minorities. The levels found were even higher than those associated with prolonged exposure to AM radio.

 

[Clix Pix]

There was another article in The Washington Post today, and the authorities are telling people that the air is fine, they can return to their homes, but also they're recommending drinking and using bottled water rather than drinking tap water. Ehhhh..... I'm sure that many who can afford to do so will move away from there. I know I would.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

This is strike 2 against Mayor Pete exposing himself as a neoliberal corporatist. In the current climate you have everything to gain politically by raging on behalf of the common citizen and everything to lose by reflexively running cover and caution for corporations. Kyrsten Sinema applauds his efforts.

 

[NT1440]

This is strike 2 against Mayor Pete exposing himself as a neoliberal corporatist. In the current climate you have everything to gain politically by raging on behalf of the common citizen and everything to lose by reflexively running cover and caution for corporations. Kyrsten Sinema applauds his efforts.

You’d be shocked at the lengths people go to protect this guy. I’ve seen comments recently stating that he doesn’t have the rule making powers his position is literally made for, things like automatic braking have to be done by congress (which they were, and mandated to be in place during Obama’s time).

Apparently if a Good Guy (TM) is in power, they’re powerless to use their position to enforce the regulations that position explicitly exists to enforce.

When the Bad Guy (TM) is in power, only then does their corporate sellout bullshit catch the flak of self proclaimed liberals.

I wish this rat would take his place in the trash heap of history. He’s a corporate front in a suit.

 

[Yoused]

I wish this rat would take his place in the trash heap of history. He’s a corporate front in a suit.

So, just like Joe the President, only worse?

 

[NT1440]

So, just like Joe the President, only worse?

Given Biden’s longer tenure in power, I still find the “Senator from MBNA” to be worse, but it is *crystal clear* the corporate democratic establishment have their hopes pinned on grooming Pete for the presidency someday. He might as well have been grown in a corporate vat.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Given Biden’s longer tenure in power, I still find the “Senator from MBNA” to be worse, but *crystal clear* the corporate democratic establishment have their hopes pinned on grooming Pete for the presidency someday. He might as well have been grown in a corporate vat.

The establishment from both sides still hasn't come to the realization that their collective actions over decades is why Trump won, in general terms Democrats abandoning the working class and Republicans blaming immigrants for everything. Now they think we long for a time where things were still fucked but they were more polite about it. To an extent that may be true for some because they are burnt out, but we'll quickly return to chaos if there aren't any substantial changes.

Also heard regulations were put in place for this issue when Obama was in office and then lobbyists successfully got Trump to drop them. I don’t know if this train derailed in Trump country but if it is the residents might be shocked to find out that a border wall, small government, or tax cuts couldn’t have prevented this.

 

[NT1440]

The establishment from both sides still hasn't come to the realization that their collective actions over decades is why Trump won, in general terms Democrats abandoning the working class and Republicans blaming immigrants for everything. Now they think we long for a time where things were still fucked but they were more polite about it. To an extent that may be true for some because they are burnt out, but we'll quickly return to chaos if there aren't any substantial changes.

Also heard regulations were put in place for this issue when Obama was in office and then lobbyists successfully got Trump to drop them. I don’t know if this train derailed in Trump country but if it is the residents might be shocked to find out that a border wall, small government, or tax cuts couldn’t have prevented this.

Those regulations were passed long before Obama’s tenure. They were mandated to be in place during his term, but given the corporate nature of his administration they punted on enforcing the deadline.

Keep in mind automatic braking has been standard in most of Europe since the 80/90’s…


Now the train lobby is actively trying to get Mayor Pete’s agency to approve increasing air brake PSI limits (to save a buck), which I’m sure will work just fine in an industry where deferred maintenance is the rule rather than the exception. Be prepared for more brake failures due to corroded brake tanks failing when too much pressure is allowed legally…

 

[Yoused]

I don’t know if this train derailed in Trump country

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

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Maybe they can accessorize their hats with a MAGA hazmat suit with a "Defund regulators!" patch.