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Hello John,

Since the train derailment disaster in Ohio, residents have been reaching out to Food & Water Watch with concerns about their safety.

Members of the community are still struggling to get answers about this accident and the potential health effects, so I’m attending a Pennsylvania Senate hearing on the derailment this morning to meet with elected officials and local residents. After that I will be attending a public meeting featuring Erin Brockovich on Friday in Ohio.

Before I go to these meetings, I’m asking you to send a message to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg demanding stronger regulations on the transport of hazardous material by rail.
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Let's raise our voices together to prevent what happened in Ohio from ever happening again.

Onward,

Megan McDonough
Pennsylvania State Director
Food & Water Watch

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John,

The community of East Palestine, Ohio has been living a public health nightmare for two weeks. On February 3, a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals used to make plastics derailed near this quiet Eastern Ohio town. After officials decided to burn these hazardous materials to prevent an explosion, the toxic plume could be seen and smelled from miles away.

I live in Western Pennsylvania where we already experience some of the worst air quality in the nation. With this disaster, we are faced with the reality that our air was polluted with even more harmful toxins. While residents of both Ohio and Pennsylvania struggle to get answers about this accident and the potential health effects, just yesterday, another Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed in Van Buren Township, Michigan.

These accidents are preventable, and they need to stop. After years of lobbying against common-sense regulations by operators like Norfolk Southern¹, Trump rolled back rules on improving braking systems, which is exactly what contributed to this disaster.

Send a message: Demand that Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg reinstate rules on braking systems and strengthen regulations on the transport of hazardous material by rail.
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Take Action
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The Norfolk Southern train that derailed in East Palestine was not fit to be in operation and was exempt from needing to alert the communities in its path to the hazardous materials it was carrying. The faulty axle that caused the derailment broke at least 20 miles before the train went off the tracks.² Local officials and first responders had no idea that it carried dangerous cargo.

This lack of oversight is unacceptable, and communities in Ohio, and western Pennsylvania are paying the price. We should all be outraged that communities are continually put at risk to prop up the fracking and plastics industries for corporate profit.

Demand that Pete Buttigieg put common-sense regulations like modern braking systems back in place.
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Food & Water Watch has been working for years to protect communities from dangerous materials transported by rail. Liquified fracked gas and fracking byproducts used to make plastic are transported daily through our communities. Accidents like this should give us even more urgency to end fossil fuels altogether.

Take action today by demanding stronger regulations on the transport of hazardous material by rail.
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Onward,

Megan McDonough
Pennsylvania State Director
Food & Water Watch

1. The Lever, Rail Companies Blocked Safety Rules Before Ohio Derailment
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. February 8, 2023.

2. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Reeling East Palestine residents packed a town hall. Many left frustrated
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. February 16, 2023.

Food & Water Watch and its affiliated organization, Food & Water Action, are advocacy groups with a common mission to protect our food, water and climate.

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