The Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has come under fire from podcaster Joe Rogan for saying that America’s construction sector is too white.
Rogan notably cited a speech in which Buttigieg expressed his opinion that there are too many white workers on construction sites, which has traditionally prevented communities of color from gaining from infrastructure developments.
But Rogan said that Buttigieg’s remarks revealed “a terrible lack of knowledge” on the significance “of skilled labor” in the building industry.
Do you recall him saying recently that there are too many white individuals employed in the construction industry? Rogan addressed his crowd before starting.
Buttigieg stated at the conference that there have been “way too many stories from generations past of infrastructure where you got a neighborhood, often a neighborhood of color, that finally sees the project come to them, but everyone in the hard hats on that project, looking like they are doing the well-paying jobs, don’t look like they came from anywhere near the neighborhood.”
Rogan emphasized that finding qualified laborers was essential for completing building projects successfully, and that these employees could need to be hired from outside the neighborhood.
It’s expert labor, I say. So, you need to employ individuals that are highly skilled in that area. You have to employ people from outside the community if they don’t already exist there, Rogan said.
If you look at what occurs when unskilled labor and unskilled individuals work on structures, he said, “you get f**king catastrophes.”
Buttigieg received criticism earlier in the week for speaking in public on infrastructure without bringing up the significant trail derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
Rogan also pointed the finger directly at the Secretary for the train accident involving dangerous chemicals, calling it a “colossal failure on the part of the Transportation Department.”
After waiting 10 days before responding to the disaster, Buttigieg seemed to place part of the responsibility for it on the Trump administration for having changed a little-known safety guideline.
Buttigieg acknowledged on Tuesday night that his agency has made a number of “historic expenditures” to increase rail safety, but claimed that these efforts were limited by the Trump administration’s policies.
The former mayor, who is now 41, particularly mentioned a regulation regarding electronic brakes that the Trump administration abolished and that his own Transportation Department has not attempted to reinstate.
But, Buttigieg said on Twitter, “We are utilizing the authorities we do have to keep people safe.” “We’re bound by law on certain aspects of rail regulation (like the brake rule revoked by the Trump administration in 2018 because of a statute enacted by Congress in 2015).
At one point, Buttigieg gave the impression that he was trying to minimize the incident by saying that over 1,000 trains derail every year, much like the one in East Palestine.
“Although this terrible incident has received a disproportionately large amount of attention, a train derails around 1000 times a year. Evidently, they range in seriousness,’ he remarked.
Buttigieg said, “Well, due of the dangerous goods on board, this train was subject to some additional procedures, but clearly none of that prevented what occurred.”
We’ll be closely monitoring the NTSB’s (National Transportation Safety Board) conclusions, the speaker said.
Rail safety has changed significantly over the years, but Buttigieg told Yahoo Finance that more has to be done.
No senior Biden administration official had visited East Palestine, Ohio until Thursday, 13 days after a Norfolk Southern train derailed, according to Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who called the delay “inacceptable.”
“I implore President Biden, Administrator Regan, and Transportation Secretary Buttigieg to provide a detailed picture of the damage and a comprehensive strategy to guarantee the neighborhood is supported in the next weeks, months, and years, that this kind of catastrophe never occurs again.” It’s past time for those responsible to take responsibility for the terrible harm done to East Palestine and the surrounding area.
Rep. Lauren Boebert of the Republican Party continued, saying, “Not a single mention regarding the train disaster in Ohio.” Instead, he lamented how all-white the construction business was. It’s incredible that this nation can run at all under this government.
In a post on Twitter on Wednesday, Buttigieg disputed assertions that his agency had not done enough to assist with the catastrophic derailment that had displaced some 5,000 people from their homes.
On February 3, a Norfolk Southern train derailed, releasing many chemicals, including vinyl chloride, a hazardous chemical used to make plastics.
Some 5,000 people were taken out of the town by officials, who then burned the chemicals in a controlled manner before allowing them to return.
After testing, state authorities assert that the air and water are safe. But, the Ohio River, which supplies drinking water to millions of people, has raised worries among locals. 3,500 fish had been discovered dead nearby.
Even if the Trump administration did repeal a rule mandating modern brake systems on certain trains, the Obama administration had previously watered down the standard to the point where the train that crashed in East Palestine would not have needed one.
The small’s inhabitants have been informed that, despite the possibility of chemical contamination, they are ineligible for FEMA assistance since their houses weren’t physically damaged.
Many locals are cautious and unwilling to believe the promises of state and federal authorities, despite the fact that they have been informed it is safe for them to return to their houses.
As a consequence, Norfolk Southern, the railroad whose train crashed two weeks ago, is presently paying for their hotel accommodations.
Homes in East Palestine do not suffer physical damage like those in hurricanes or tornadoes, which often do.
According to those with knowledge of the situation, because of this and the fact that Norfolk Southern is already covering the costs of lodging, food, and water, the request cannot be granted and the money that would otherwise be released in the event of a calamity is still held in reserve.
Authorities chose to burn the dangerous items in a controlled atmosphere after ordering the evacuation of a portion of the town due to environmental concerns in order to prevent an unanticipated, fatal explosion.
Residents are unsure right now if it is safe for them to go back to their houses.
While it is claimed that there are no evidence of the dangerous chemicals in the water or the air, they have been instructed to take precautions by drinking bottled water.
Numerous others, notably Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, have disregarded such guarantees.
“They should be willing to drink the tap water if the EPA Administrator wants to stand here and assure folks that it is safe to do so.”
“I’d be drinking bottled water if I lived here,” the speaker said.
Several locals still express discomfort with their eyes and throats, and others claim to be experiencing headaches.
There are serious worries about the citizens of the town’s health, and there are growing concerns about the problem.
The CEO of Norfolk Southern has not yet visited the area.
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