A Renegade Black Hole Is Barreling Through Space! | 2/24/23

A Renegade Black Hole Is Barreling Through Space! | 2/24/23

‘IT’S ALL A SHAM’: Why Buttigieg and FEMA are DITCHING Ohio



In today's episode of "The Glenn Beck Program," Glenn talks about the recent disastorious train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailment caused intense health and environmental concerns, thanks to the massive leaking of toxic chemicals.

However, Biden administration Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is nowhere to be seen. Glenn details how FEMA just denied assistance to the Ohio town because the derailment doesn't classify as a "national disaster." When has FEMA turned down the chance to take control of a town? Glenn asks.

In this clip, Glenn explains why he believes the left is ABANDONING Ohio: "It’s ALL A SHAM."


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Buttigieg downplays toxic train derailment disaster in Ohio and gets excoriated online



Transportation Department Director Pete Buttigieg was excoriated online for a short clip of his reaction to the environmental disaster from a train derailment in Ohio.

Buttigieg appeared on Yahoo! Finance to tout the Biden administration's policies to encourage electric vehicle use when he was asked how future derailments could be avoided.

"Look, rail safety is something that has evolved a lot over the years, but there's clearly more that needs to be done because while this horrible situation has gotten a particularly high amount of attention, there are roughly one thousand cases a year of a train derailing," he said.

"Obviously, they have levels of severity," Buttigieg added.

A short clip of his comments was posted to social media, where many thought it was insensitive of him to compare it to other derailment accidents.

\u201cPete Buttigieg on East Palestine disaster:\n\n"While this horrible situation has gotten a particularly high amount of attention, there are roughly 1,000 cases a year of a train derailing."\u201d
— TheBlaze (@TheBlaze) 1676587148

"Oh I feel much better now," responded Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri sarcastically.

"IT DOESN’T COST A DIME TO GIVE A DAMN. But these ciphers can’t be bothered to show up," replied Dagen McDowell of Fox News.

"Oh, so according to the over-his-head mediocrity who was hired for the job he has solely because he's gay, train derailments are pretty ordinary so there's nothing to worry about. Sounds totally legit. Nothing to see there, I guess," read a popular tweet from John Hawkins.

However, Buttigieg's full comments extended beyond the short clip.

"Well the most urgent thing right now is to make sure that these residents get the information that they need, they are concerned, they are frightened and with good reason. They had their lives upended through no fault of their own and now want to know if their homes, their neighborhoods, their schools are safe," he responded.

"Obviously EPA, the administrators, have been doing great work on this on the ground today, a lot of this is a partnership between them and the state when it comes to things like testing the air, testing the water. But there's a very important transportation safety side to this too. Now, the NTSB, National Transportation Safety Board, they are an independent body and I respect their independence and their leadership of the investigation right now," Buttigieg continued.

"But our department supports that process, matter of fact we had people on the ground within hours of our Federal Rail Administration and our Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to support that investigation," he said.

Residents in the area surrounding the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, have reported dead animals, sickness, and breathing problems from the toxic chemicals that were burned off by officials.

"We basically nuked a town with chemicals so we could get a railroad open," said one hazardous materials specialist.

Here's the full interview with Buttigieg on Yahoo! Finance:

White House, Tesla partnership ‘a great opportunity,’ Sec. Buttigieg sayswww.youtube.com

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Train derails in Van Buren Township outside Detroit, one car carrying hazardous materials, same operator as East Palestine derailment



A train derailment happened on Thursday morning in Van Buren Township outside Detroit, Michigan. Despite one of the cars carrying hazardous materials, the accident is not a hazmat situation, according to WBJK.

At least seven cars derailed in the accident in Van Buren Township.

According to Van Buren Township Public Safety, "There is no evidence of exposed hazardous materials, as no train cars containing hazardous materials were compromised. There are no injuries reported."

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy said there were no indications that there was a threat to the public.

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) released a statement that read, "We are also in touch with the relevant federal authorities, including the EPA. At this time no one is aware of the release of any hazardous materials, the car carrying hazardous material has been put upright and is being removed from the area of the other derailed cars, and EPA is dispatching a team to ensure public safety."

Police are asking residents to avoid the area completely. Haggerty Road will be closed south of I-94 , and Huron River Drive west of Haggerty will not be open.

The cause of the train derailment has yet to be determined. The investigation is active and ongoing.

WDIV-TV reported that the train was operated by Norfolk Southern – the same operator behind the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

The derailment comes less than two weeks after about 50 cars carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. The train derailment released toxic chemicals into the area, including ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate, isobutylene, vinyl chloride, hydrogen chloride, and phosgene.

There have been more than a dozen train derailments in the U.S. so far this year, according to Newsweek. However, there are more train derailments in the U.S. than some may estimate.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics is part of the Department of Transportation that tracks and analyzes statistics on commercial aviation, multimodal freight activity, and transportation economics. The BTS has been keeping annual stats on train derailments since 1990.

The BTS said there have been 4,539 accidents in which a train derailed between 1990 and 2021 – an average of 1,704 derailments per year.

In the same time frame, 5,547 people were injured from a train derailment, or roughly 174 per year. There have been 131 fatalities during that same time period, or about four deaths a year.

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Authorities investigate train derailment in Van Buren Township www.youtube.com

EPA-associated agency testing air for toxins allegedly got hundreds of locals near site of Norfolk Southern chemical inferno to sign contract to 'indemnify, release and hold harmless' testing groups



A resident of the Ohio village where derailed Norfolk Southern train cars were altogether transformed into a toxic inferno told nationally syndicated radio host and co-founder of Blaze Media Glenn Beck that U.S. Environmental Protection Agency affiliates were pushing contracts on locals, purportedly looking to minimize liability around air monitoring tests.

What's the background?

Katlyn Schwarzwaelder is a resident of East Palestine, Ohio, the epicenter of Norfolk Southern Railways' recent ecological disaster, which reportedly killed countless animals in the area and has left a number of locals complaining of bleary eyes and breathing difficulties.

Schwarzwaelder also operates the Von Schwarz Doberman Kennel in nearby Darlington, Pennsylvania, a little over a mile away from the blast site.

Chemical and Engineering News reported that Schwarzwaelder, who managed to get her dogs and horse out of the area, has taken calls from locals who have observed fish, chickens, foxes, dogs, and other animals dying without warning in the aftermath of the derailment and controlled breach.

"I got a call yesterday from a person who lives 1.5 miles away from the derailment area,” she said. “They let their 2-year-old healthy dog out to go to the bathroom, and the dog never returned inside. He was dead in the yard."

While Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R), Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and other officials have announced that evacuated residents in and around East Palestine can now safely return home, Schwarzwaelder isn't so sure, particularly when at least one gas used as a weapon of mass slaughter in World War One was released overhead.

TheBlaze previously reported that the thick column of smoke that darkened the sky above East Palestine after the derailment contained fumes from the toxic chemicals stored in the wrecked cars, such as vinyl chloride, hydrogen chloride, and phosgene.

The EPA also cautioned Norfolk Southern that an additional three chemicals were aboard the breached and derailed trains: ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate, and isobutylene.

Silverado Caggiano, a hazardous materials specialist, told WKBN that ethylhexyl acrylate is a carcinogen that can cause burning and irritation in the skin and eyes, as well as breathing problems. He noted that isobutylene can also cause dizziness and drowsiness if inhaled.

Phosgene, used in warfare at the turn of the 20th century, can result in chest constriction and choking.

Some of the other toxins released can have similarly debilitating and deadly consequences.

After residents were coaxed into returning home to East Palestine, Norfolk Southern- and EPA-associated groups reportedly continued to test the air for potentially harmful toxins.

Broad contracts

In conversation with Glenn Beck Wednesday, Schwarzwaelder indicated that East Palestine residents were told by Norfolk [Southern Railway] personnel "that the agencies that were coming to our homes to test were from independent laboratories."

Despite this suggestion, Schwarzwaelder noted that an individual with the environmental consulting firm CTEH LLC had been camped out front of her house on the night of the derailment, who told her, "We follow around the railroad when they make mistakes and they are happy to have us here."

Those testing Schwarzwaelder's air reportedly handed her a release form authorizing "Norfolk Southern, its affiliates, subsidiaries, parents, contractors, associated environmental professionals, and assisting local, state, and federal agencies, including but not limited to CTEH LLC and any of their personnel (collectively, 'Monitoring Team') to access the Property for air monitoring or environmental sampling."

"Landowner agrees to indemnify, release, and hold harmless Unified Command from and against any and all legal claims, including for personal injury or property damage, arising from Monitoring Team's performance of air monitoring or environmental sampling at the Property on the date of signature below," the contract added.

\u201cThis is the contract\u201d
— Glenn Beck (@Glenn Beck) 1676478881

While the contracts appear specific to the "Monitoring Team's performance of air monitoring or environmental sampling," it is presently unclear whether the legalese may be broad enough to cover injuries resulting from inaccurate measurements.

Furthermore, it is unclear whether lawyers for the railway or others named as members of the "Monitoring Team" could at some later stage suggest that inaccurate measurements for which their affiliates would be indemnified — contra the derailment and subsequent controlled breach of dangerous fumes — were ultimately responsible for potential injuries and damages (e.g., carcinomas, breathing issues, and crop failures).

Schwarzwaelder refused to sign the release form, but indicated 340 other residents did sign the document.

"My heart just breaks for these people. We don't know the long-term repercussions of what these chemicals can do in our air, to our environment, to our homes, to our businesses. And they signed their rights away in the hopes that they're getting help and the right answers from these organizations," Schwarzwaelder told Beck.

"What I can tell you first hand is that CTEH, the affiliate of Norfolk that came to test the air, was followed by the EPA. ... We said, 'Can the EPA by themselves come into our kennel? We do not sign this paper,' and 'Can they test themselves because they are a government organization that has the ability, they have the testing equipment with them?' And the answer was, 'Absolutely not.'"

Contamination and liability

The EPA sent Norfolk Southern a general notice of potential liability over the weekend, outlining EPA cleanup actions and the possibility that the railway will have to foot the bill, reported CBS News.

With schools of fish floating belly-up down nearby streams and rivers, residents are now especially concerned about possible water contamination.

CBS News reported that this fear has been exacerbated by a 2019 drinking water source assessment conducted by the Ohio EPA that indicated East Palestine's source of drinking water has a "high susceptibility to contamination" because of a lack of clay helping protect the aquifer and "the presence of significant potential contaminant sources in the protection area."

The assessment notes, "This susceptibility means that under currently existing conditions, the likelihood of the aquifer becoming contaminated is relatively high."

WKBN reported that the EPA recently castigated Norfolk Southern for simply covering up contaminated soil in the aftermath of the derailment.

"Five railcar tankers of vinyl chloride were intentionally breached; the vinyl chloride was diverted to an excavated trench and then burned off. Areas of contaminated soil and free liquids were observed and potentially covered and/or filled during reconstruction of the rail line including portions of the trench /burn pit that was used for the open burn off of vinyl chloride," said the letter.

According to an EPA fact sheet, vinyl chloride — one of the primary toxins spilled and burned up over East Palestine — "will be expected to be highly mobile in soil and it may leach to the groundwater. It may be subject to biodegradation under anaerobic conditions such as exists in flooded soil and groundwater."

"Based on epidemiological and animal studies, vinyl chloride is carcinogenic in humans when inhaled, and it is considered to be a human carcinogen from oral exposure," the fact sheet added.

WITNESS: Train derailment causing ‘WAR ZONE’ scenes in Ohio youtu.be

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'We basically nuked a town': Animals dying in Ohio after train derailment and controlled release of toxic chemicals



The freight train that derailed Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio, may not have exploded outright as some had feared, but it still managed to expel various toxic chemicals.

While officials have suggested that the deadly chemicals in the smoke that darkened the sky over the village do not pose a threat to human beings, some locals are not convinced, particularly as their animals have taken ill and in some cases perished.

What are the details?

According to National Transportation Safety Board member Michael Graham, the Norfolk Southern train was carrying 141 loaded cars, nine empty cars, and three locomotives. Around 50 cars went off the tracks.

Graham suggested that the suspected cause of the derailment was "mechanical issues on one of the railcar axles."

A wheel bearing may have overheated, leading to a fire and, in turn, the derailment, reported WKBN.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette obtained a video that shows what appears to be sparks and flames beneath the train as it passed an equipment plant in Salem, Ohio, approximately 20 miles away from where the train ultimately went off the rails.

The thick column of smoke that darkened the sky above East Palestine after the derailment contained fumes from the toxic chemicals stored in the wrecked cars, such as vinyl chloride, hydrogen chloride, and phosgene.

WKBN reported that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cautioned Norfolk Southern that an additional three chemicals were aboard the breached and derailed trains: ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate, and isobutylene.

Silverado Caggiano, a hazardous materials specialist, told WKBN that ethylhexyl acrylate is a carcinogen that can cause burning and irritation in the skin and eyes, as well as breathing problems. He noted that isobutylene can also cause dizziness and drowsiness if inhaled.

Ashok Kumar, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the University of Toledo, told ABC News that phosgene fume inhalation could result in chest constriction and choking.

TheBlaze previously reported that Norfolk Southern, under the supervision of purported experts and first responders, performed a controlled breach of several rail cars.

Ohio train derailment: Explosion sparks the start of 'controlled release' in East Palestine youtu.be

The reasoning behind the controlled release of the deadly chemicals was to avert a "catastrophic tanker failure" that could have resulted in a massive explosion, throwing fumes and shrapnel a far distance.

The controlled releases were deemed "low-level," however the aforementioned health consequences are all still possible, suggested Kumar, in addition to various cancers resultant of encounters with long-term carcinogens like vinyl chloride.

Kevin Crist, director of Ohio University's Air Quality Center, noted that breathing in heavy concentrations of the chemicals that spewed forth from the derailed cars would be "really bad for you. ... It's like an acid mist. It's not something that you want to be around in high concentrations."

Caggiano painted a bleaker picture, telling WKBN, "We basically nuked a town with chemicals so we could get a railroad open."

Villagers within a one-mile radius of the wreck were cautioned by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) that remaining in the impacted area could put them in "grave danger of death" and were subsequently evacuated.

Evacuees were told last week that it was safe to return home after the Environmental Protection Agency indicated that air-monitoring tests had not found any toxic threats.

Although the smoke may have cleared, there is no guarantee East Palestine can put the consequences of the derailment behind it.

Caggiano said, "There’s a lot of what-ifs, and we’re going to be looking at this thing 5, 10, 15, 20 years down the line and wondering, 'Gee, cancer clusters could pop up, you know, well water could go bad.'"

Fallout

Some residents in East Palestine and nearby towns have seen animals begin to drop dead.

Taylor Holzer runs Parker Dairy outside the evacuation zone with his family. He also keeps foxes.

Holzer told WKBN that after the derailment, one of his foxes "just started coughing really hard, just shut down, and he had liquid diarrhea and just went very fast."

While the one fox perished quickly, Holzer's other foxes have been suffering from a variety of health issues, from puffy faces to gastrointestinal troubles.

Holzer is convinced that his animals' recent afflictions didn't "just happen out of nowhere. ... The chemicals that we're being told are safe in the air, that's definitely not safe for the animals ... or people."

CBS Pittsburgh reported that hundreds of fish have turned up dead in Leslie Run, approximately five miles away from the site of the derailment. While the EPA has acknowledged that fish are dying, it stressed that well water remains safe to drink.

Amanda Breshears, who lives 10 miles away from East Palestine, said upon going to feed her hens and rooster days after the derailment, she found them all lifeless.

"My video camera footage shows my chickens were perfectly fine before they started this burn, and as soon as they started the burn, my chickens slowed down and they died," she told WKBN. "If it can do this to chickens in one night, imagine what it’s going to do to us in 20 years."

"For them to say the air quality is OK, I'm calling B.S.," said Breshears, who complained of watery eyes after going outside just briefly.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture has issued a statement "assuring Ohioans its food supply is safe and the risk to livestock remains low following the East Palestine train derailment."

The ODA recommended that local residents who notice unusual behavior in their livestock or pets should contact their veterinarians for further guidance.

Thick smoke, flames seen as controlled release of chemicals begins at East Palestine train site youtu.be