Letter: Disaster in Ohio

Contrary to the view expressed in a Feb. 19 letter to the editor regarding the derailment in East Palestine, actions taken during the Trump administration are not ancient history. In the first year of his presidency, President Trump eliminated a rule change initiated by President Obama that would have required freight trains to upgrade outdated braking technology. In 2019, his administration relaxed safety regulations for the shipping of fracked natural gas by rail. While the former president does not necessarily bear direct “blame” for the derailment, there is no question that he pursued a policy of deregulation that makes such accidents more likely. They are called safety regulations because they are put in place to save lives and towns, even if it means—prepare yourself—reduced profits for businesses.