美国国家公共电台 NPR--After East Palestine disaster, Buttigieg calls for stronger railroad safety rules

After East Palestine disaster, Buttigieg calls for stronger railroad safety rules

Transcript¹

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has accused freight rail operator Norfolk Southern of putting profits in front of human lives. This follows strong criticism of Buttigieg from Republicans.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The chemical smell that lingers around East Palestine, Ohio, has added to the pressure for authorities to respond. The EPA says the air is safe after a train derailment, while some residents have insisted they're getting sick. Beyond that is the question of how a train carrying chemicals went off the tracks in the first place. In a letter, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is questioning the actions of the railroad, Norfolk Southern, and Secretary Buttigieg is on the line. Welcome to the program.

PETE BUTTIGIEG: Good morning. Thank you for having me on.

INSKEEP: So you assert that Norfolk Southern needs to do more to support the community. What exactly are they failing to do?

BUTTIGIEG: Well, the biggest thing that I want to see from Norfolk Southern is a change in their posture² toward rail safety. The rail industry has vigorously resisted so many rules and efforts to raise the bar on safety. Now, I want to be clear. The investigation³ into root causes is being led by the National Transportation Safety Board. NTSB is independent, with good reason, and we will know more when they issue their final report. But it is not too soon to push toward a change in how industry approaches safety. And that's exactly what we're calling for today.

INSKEEP: Although you - as you point out in your letter, there is another agency, a regulatory agency, that's under your purview⁴, that is looking into this. Do you have reason to think that some deficiency of regulation is connected to this crash?

BUTTIGIEG: Again, I won't get ahead of NTSB, but there are some things we know are the right thing to do for rail safety. I'll give you a couple of examples. Right now, we are in the middle of a process of driving railroad companies and chemical companies to phase in safer tank cars to carry hazardous⁵ materials. Now, under the Obama administration, a rule went in to get this done by 2025. With pressure from the rail industry lobby, Congress pushed that date out to 2029. I think that we should move that date back up. That's just one example of something that, even as we wait for the NTSB's results, we know is the right thing to do.

Another thing I think is really important right now is to make sure that we have enough teeth on our enforcement actions. Right now for the most egregious⁶ kind of violation⁷ - violations⁸ involving hazardous materials that lead to a fatality⁹ - the most that my department can fine per violation is about $225,000. For a multibillion-dollar company like Norfolk Southern or any of the major freight railroad companies, that is just not enough to have a deterrent¹⁰ effect. So that's something I want Congress to work with us on, to raise that cap so that this can make a difference.

INSKEEP: You indicate in your letter, Mr. Secretary, that you've already been talking with the head of Norfolk Southern. What are you hearing from them?

BUTTIGIEG: Look; they have indicated and claimed that they will do everything they can to make it right with the people of East Palestine, and they need to be held to that. I will make sure that there is accountability for any and all violations of safety standards that may have gone into this. The EPA, I know, is holding them to their responsibilities on the cleanup. But I also want to make sure in this moment that we raise the bar on rail safety generally as a country. That's why we have a three-part drive going on right now - things we're doing as a department, things that we need Congress to help with and things that the rail industry should do right away.

INSKEEP: In the time we have left...

BUTTIGIEG: Yeah.

INSKEEP: ...I want to talk about something that's a little more immediate¹¹. We have reported on Norfolk Southern's response to this crash. Representatives from the railroad missed a community meeting. The CEO did show up a couple of days later, has been in touch with the community. But at that meeting, very notably¹², residents said they were getting sick. They have continued to get sick even though the EPA, the federal government, says that things should be safe, that there is not enough concentration of chemicals in the air for people to be getting sick. I recognize the EPA is outside of your department, but you're the representative of the administration here. Is the administration doing enough for the people of East Palestine?

BUTTIGIEG: Well, the people of East Palestine are right to be concerned. They're understandably concerned. If you have something like this happen in your community, then you're going to ask any time you experience symptoms of anything whether that could be connected. EPA is doing everything to make sure that those residents have access to good testing of air, water and soil. I believe the EPA administrator¹³, Michael Regan, who is very focused on this, will be there in the community again today. But this is also why you're now seeing public health teams arrive, too, with the CDC and HHS presence. This is an all-hands-on-deck matter where you have multiple federal agencies partnering with state government and local authorities to get these residents everything that they need. And that support is going to continue.

INSKEEP: You've been very gracious in not calling me out on mispronouncing the name of the town, so I'll call myself out. It's East Palestine, Ohio. And Secretary Pete Buttigieg, thanks very much for your time. Really appreciate it.

BUTTIGIEG: Glad to be with you. Thank you.

INSKEEP: He is the U.S. secretary of transportation.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 posture   

n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势

参考例句：

• The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
• He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 purview   

n.范围；眼界

参考例句：

• These are questions that lie outside the purview of our inquiry.这些都不是属于我们调查范围的问题。
• That,however,was beyond the purview of the court;it was a diplomatic matter.但是，那已不在法庭权限之内；那是个外交问题。

5 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

6 egregious   

adj.非常的，过分的

参考例句：

• When it comes to blatant lies,there are none more egregious than budget figures.谈到公众谎言，没有比预算数字更令人震惊的。
• What an egregious example was here!现摆着一个多么触目惊心的例子啊。

7 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

8 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

9 fatality   

n.不幸，灾祸，天命

参考例句：

• She struggle against fatality in vain.她徒然奋斗反抗宿命。
• He began to have a growing sense of fatality.他开始有一种越来越强烈的宿命感。

10 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

11 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

12 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

13 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。