Ohio Train Disaster Could Happen Elsewhere in The US

The train disaster along the Pennsylvania border in East Palestine, Ohio, serves as a stark reminder about the dangers of shipping toxic materials through U.S. communities.

RELATED:

Ohio Derailment Leads to Long-Term Environmental Concerns

"What we witnessed in Ohio could certainly happen again. On average, there are more than 1,700 train derailments per year in the U.S.," reported the Philadelphia Inquirer on Thursday.

"There's no way around it: The abundance of trains shipping toxic and hazardous substances across the country poses a serious threat to public safety and the environment," it added.

Members of Congress must speak to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and call on the White House to stop the transportation of liquefied natural gas by rail.

"We cannot risk the lives of millions of people in our region for the gas industry's profits. The Ohio train derailment should serve as a wake-up call for our nation's leaders, and a call to action for all of us," the Philadelphia Inquirer added.

On Wednesday, East Palestine residents crowded in a high school gym in a meeting with officials to demand concrete answers about the environmental risks. The next day, Michael Regan, the director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), traveled to that community.

"I visited the site of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio — a terrible incident that has rightfully shaken this community to its core. But I want residents to know: EPA will be here as long as it takes the ensure the health and safety of this community," he said.

Meanwhile, dozens of U.S. voices on social networks recalled that this type of accident does not occur without prior history.

"Never forget how we got here: in 2018, the Association of American Railroads spent US$4,737,989, and Norfolk Southern spent US$1,025,330, lobbying to reverse the Obama-era ECP brake safety rule that was designed to prevent disasters like this. The Trump administration reversed it," environmental activist Melanie D'Arrigo recalled.