Podcaster Joe Rogan has criticized Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg for claiming the American construction industry is too white.
Rogan was specifically referring to a speech in which Buttigieg stated that he felt too many white people were working on construction sites and that this had historically kept black neighborhoods from benefiting from infrastructure projects.
But Rogan argued that Buttigieg’s comments showed “a profound lack of understanding” of the importance of a “skilled workforce” in construction.
“You know he gave a speech the other day about too many white people working on construction sites?” Rogan began, addressing his audience.
“We’ve heard far too many stories from generations past about infrastructure where there was a neighborhood, often a neighborhood of the color that saw the project eventually come to them, but everyone with hard hats on that project that looked like they would well-paying jobs don’t look like they’re from around the neighborhood,” Buttigieg said at the conference.
Rogan emphasized that hiring skilled workers is critical to successful construction projects and that such workers may need to be brought in from outside the community.
Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg was criticized on his podcast this week by Joe Rogan for his recent remarks about construction workers
Buttigieg apparently ignored a mushroom cloud of noxious smoke emanating from burning toxic chemicals emitted by a train crash in eastern Palestine, Ohio, until 10 days after the accident
“This is skilled work. You have to hire people who are really good at it. And if they don’t exist in that community, you have to hire them from outside that community,” Rogan suggested.
“When you see what happens when you have unskilled labor and unskilled people working on buildings, you have bloody disasters,” he continued.
Buttigieg became furious earlier in the week for making a public address on infrastructure and failing to mention the massive trail derailment in eastern Palestine, Ohio.
Rogan also put the blame for the train wreck containing toxic chemicals squarely on the minister’s feet, branding it a “colossal failure on the part of the Department of Transport”.
It took Buttigieg 10 days to comment on the accident, and even then appeared to place some blame on the Trump administration for reversing a little-known safety rule.
Buttigieg noted Tuesday night that his agency has taken a number of steps to improve railroad safety through “historic investments,” but said they are constrained by the Trump administration’s actions.
The 41-year-old former mayor specifically pointed out an electronic brake rule that the Trump administration had repealed, and his own transportation department has made no effort to bring it back.
“We are limited by law in some areas of railroad regulation (like the braking rule, which was withdrawn by the Trump administration in 2018 under legislation passed by Congress in 2015), but we use the powers we have to keep people safe . ‘ Buttigieg wrote on Twitter.
At one point, Buttigieg seemed to downplay the accident, noting that about 1,000 trains derail a year, just like the one in eastern Palestine.
“Even though this horrific situation has attracted a lot of attention, there are about 1,000 cases of a train derailing every year. Obviously they have degrees of severity,” he said.
Buttigieg continues: “This train now had certain increased requirements because of the hazardous substances on board, but that obviously didn’t prevent anything.”
“We will be paying very close attention to the NTSB’s findings [National Transportation Safety Board] come back,’ he said.
“Railway safety has come a long way over the years, but there’s clearly more work to be done than necessary,” Buttigieg told Yahoo Finance.
People living in the area fear long-term cancer risks and ecological destruction. (Above) Puff of toxic smoke over eastern Palestine, Ohio, on February 3, 2023
Without any warning, city workers were roused from their homes and evacuated on February 3 after tankers derailed and spilled carcinogens such as vinyl chloride, phosgene and hydrogen chloride
Sen. Joe Manchin, DW.Va., said it was “unacceptable” that no senior Biden administration official had visited eastern Palestine, Ohio, as of Thursday — 13 days after a train from Norfolk Southern went off the track.
“I urge President Biden, Administrator Regan and Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg to put in place a complete picture of the damage and a comprehensive plan to ensure the community is supported in the weeks, months and years to come and this type of accident never happens again . The damage inflicted on East Palestine and the surrounding region is terrible and it is high time those responsible were held accountable.’
Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert went on: “Not a single comment on the Ohio train wreck. Instead, he lamented the whiteness of the construction industry. It is amazing that this country can function at all under this regime.”
On Wednesday, Buttigieg fought back claims his department wasn’t helping enough in the fiery gaffe that forced around 5,000 people from their homes, in a thread on Twitter.
10 days after the crash, Buttigieg finally addressed the Ohio crash
The Norfolk-Southern train derailed on February 3, spilling various chemicals including vinyl chloride, a toxic chemical used to make plastics.
Officials evacuated around 5,000 city residents and burned the chemicals in a controlled manner, but abandoned them days later.
State officials insist the air and water are safe after the test. But local residents have shared their concerns about the Ohio River, which provides drinking water to millions of people. About 3,500 fish were found dead in the area.
And although the Trump administration reversed a rule mandating advanced braking systems on some trains, the Obama administration had already eroded that rule to the point that the advanced braking systems would not have been necessary for the train that derailed in eastern Palestine .
The toxic train derailed in a fire accident on February 3, prompting authorities to evacuate the surrounding area of East Palestine, Ohio
Alleged toxic chemicals and oil buildup can still be seen in the creek behind their family home in eastern Palestine
Fish and other aquatic wildlife that inhabited the creek were wiped out due to the environmental disaster
Workers pump water into a stream for aeration in East Palestine Park on Wednesday
Residents at the Small have been told they are not eligible for FEMA assistance because their homes were not physically destroyed — although they may be chemically contaminated.
While residents have been told it is safe to return to their homes, many are hesitant and unwilling to accept assurances from state and federal officials.
As a result, they are staying in hotels currently paid for by Norfolk Southern – the rail company whose train derailed two weeks ago.
Unlike hurricanes or tornadoes, where homes are physically damaged if not destroyed, homes in East Palestine remain intact.
This – coupled with the fact that Norfolk Southern is already paying for shelter, food and water – means the application cannot be granted and funds that would be freed up in other disasters are tied up, according to people familiar with the situation.
Ohio’s governor gave residents of the evacuation zone the green light to return, but locals have questioned whether it’s actually safe
Part of the city was evacuated for environmental reasons, and officials then decided to burn the hazardous materials in a controlled environment to avoid an unplanned, deadly explosion.
Now residents don’t know if it’s safe to return to their homes.
They are told there are no traces of the toxic chemicals in the water or air, but have been advised to drink bottled water as a precaution.
Many have dismissed those assurances, including Ohio Senator JD Vance.
“If the EPA administrator wants to stand here and tell people the tap water is safe…they should be ready to drink it.”
“If I lived here, I would drink mineral water.”
Many local residents continue to complain of sore eyes and sore throats, and some report headaches.
There are serious concerns about the health of the city’s residents and increasing questions about the crisis.
Norfolk Southern CEO has yet to visit the city.