Ohio train derailment

[imimahoney]

Can anyone explain what happened/is happening in Ohio regarding the possible environmental disaster?

Twitter is correct, there is very little national coverage.

Has the fed govt stepped in at all?

[SwimDeep]

I read yesterday that the EPA is there and has done some things (dams and such) to prevent the runoff from reaching the Ohio River. But I read that on a random Twitter account. I don't have a link to a proper article.

I feel like if the things I'm seeing on Twitter are true, this would definitely be getting national coverage.

[imimahoney]

Feb 14, 2023 6:30:11 GMT -5 SwimDeep said:

I read yesterday that the EPA is there and has done some things (dams and such) to prevent the runoff from reaching the Ohio River. But I read that on a random Twitter account. I don't have a link to a proper article.

I feel like if the things I'm seeing on Twitter are true, this would definitely be getting national coverage.

Right? Twitter/tik tok are making it out to the be the next love canal.

If that's true why isn't there more coverage??

[dirtyred]

Feb 14, 2023 7:12:42 GMT -5 imimahoney said:

Feb 14, 2023 6:30:11 GMT -5 SwimDeep said:

I read yesterday that the EPA is there and has done some things (dams and such) to prevent the runoff from reaching the Ohio River. But I read that on a random Twitter account. I don't have a link to a proper article.

I feel like if the things I'm seeing on Twitter are true, this would definitely be getting national coverage.

Right? Twitter/tik tok are making it out to the be the next love canal.

If that's true why isn't there more coverage??

I read that reporters were being kept away and some arrested.  Don't know if that's true.

Obama passed some law/rule requiring more modern brakes on freight trains.  Trump got rid of it.  The crash is a result of the bad brakes.

[Bad Dingo]

I feel like we've talked about curated news feeds and that they show you things based on what the algorithm thinks you'll read. There are plenty of stories about the disaster (and it definitely is a disaster).

www.nytimes.com/article/ohio-train-derailment.html

www.npr.org/2023/02/14/1156567743/health-east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment-chemicals

www.cnn.com/2023/02/06/us/east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment-fire-monday/index.html

[imimahoney]

Feb 14, 2023 7:42:19 GMT -5 Bad Dingo said:

I feel like we've talked about curated news feeds and that they show you things based on what the algorithm thinks you'll read. There are plenty of stories about the disaster (and it definitely is a disaster).

www.nytimes.com/article/ohio-train-derailment.html

www.npr.org/2023/02/14/1156567743/health-east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment-chemicals


www.cnn.com/2023/02/06/us/east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment-fire-monday/index.html

There are articles but I'm surprised there isn't more wall to wall coverage, I guess?

I would 100% read these articles, too.

[pixy0stix]

Have y'all actually googled? I saw national news when it first derailed.

[pixy0stix]

Feb 14, 2023 8:14:29 GMT -5 imimahoney said:

Feb 14, 2023 7:42:19 GMT -5 Bad Dingo said:

I feel like we've talked about curated news feeds and that they show you things based on what the algorithm thinks you'll read. There are plenty of stories about the disaster (and it definitely is a disaster).

www.nytimes.com/article/ohio-train-derailment.html

www.npr.org/2023/02/14/1156567743/health-east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment-chemicals


www.cnn.com/2023/02/06/us/east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment-fire-monday/index.html

There are articles but I'm surprised there isn't more wall to wall coverage, I guess?

I would 100% read these articles, too.

In the grand scheme of news coverage, the story really is small potatoes. It's effecting one locality, and people give exactly zero shits about environmental disasters that don't directly impact them.

[mpm]

As someone who grew up in a part of Ohio that was affected by the DuPont environmental problems, this is pretty triggering to see. I’m concerned what this means long-term for the people who live there.

[notreal]

Feb 14, 2023 8:48:05 GMT -5 mpm said:

As someone who grew up in a part of Ohio that was affected by the DuPont environmental problems, this is pretty triggering to see. I’m concerned what this means long-term for the people who live there.

Nitro?

[msmerymac]

Whoever was covering for Chris Hayes on MSNBC last night had a ton of time devoted to coverage and what it means for people living there, as well as the fact that the company itself wants to be responsible for the environmental impact investigation, so basically they'd be able to tell people whether or not their houses were safe?!

[Bad Dingo]

Feb 14, 2023 8:44:31 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Feb 14, 2023 8:14:29 GMT -5 imimahoney said:

There are articles but I'm surprised there isn't more wall to wall coverage, I guess?

I would 100% read these articles, too.

In the grand scheme of news coverage, the story really is small potatoes. It's effecting one locality, and people give exactly zero shits about environmental disasters that don't directly impact them.

Suddenly the Rs are concerned about it, but only because they are using it as a way to attack Pete Buttigeig.  I doubt they actually care about the environmental and health concerns though.

[pixy0stix]

Feb 14, 2023 9:40:59 GMT -5 Bad Dingo said:

Feb 14, 2023 8:44:31 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

In the grand scheme of news coverage, the story really is small potatoes. It's effecting one locality, and people give exactly zero shits about environmental disasters that don't directly impact them.

Suddenly the Rs are concerned about it, but only because they are using it as a way to attack Pete Buttigeig.  I doubt they actually care about the environmental and health concerns though.

Is this where the sudden "no one is talking about it" narrative is coming from? Because this exact same post popped up in one of my social groups this morning around the same time.

[Bad Dingo]

pixy0stix , it's definitely an R talking point, he dared discuss race in construction at the NACo conference on Monday. They are really good at drumming up concern a la HER EMAILS.

[imimahoney]

Feb 14, 2023 10:03:16 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Feb 14, 2023 9:40:59 GMT -5 Bad Dingo said:

Suddenly the Rs are concerned about it, but only because they are using it as a way to attack Pete Buttigeig.  I doubt they actually care about the environmental and health concerns though.

Is this where the sudden "no one is talking about it" narrative is coming from? Because this exact same post popped up in one of my social groups this morning around the same time.

I saw a lot of posts on twitter about the topic from non-news sources and 1 tik tok of the fire. I googled and saw some but not a ton of info.

It's being made to sound like the greatest environmental disaster in recent history.

[pixy0stix]

Feb 14, 2023 10:49:31 GMT -5 imimahoney said:

Feb 14, 2023 10:03:16 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Is this where the sudden "no one is talking about it" narrative is coming from? Because this exact same post popped up in one of my social groups this morning around the same time.

I saw a lot of posts on twitter about the topic from non-news sources and 1 tik tok of the fire. I googled and saw some but not a ton of info.

It's being made to sound like the greatest environmental disaster in recent history.

The EPA and news sources seem to think it's pretty well contained. I found some local news stories from municipalities that get their water from there, and while they're monitoring the situation they're not concerned.

So yes, it's a big deal and we don't know the long term impacts, but it seems to be well in hand for what can be done. (On my other board I got a snide, "So you trust what the government is saying" and "what's your angle" when I posted the news stories. So yeah. LOL!)

[Michelle]

Regarding the coverage topic - as someone mentioned above, Trump deregulation led to this crash. Another mention I saw (need to go find a source) was that in addition to the brakes already mentioned, the regulation Trump got rid of was about #engineers per train - it was proposed that one engineer could manage a 5 mile long train, and while this train probably had more than one engineer, poor staffing for safety may have contributed to the crash as well.

So there are multiple points about trump deregulation leading to crashes like this that have safety, health, and economic impact that is potentially far reaching that is of concern.

[docholly]

I am in Ohio about 50 mins from the derailment. It definitely was covered by all major national news outlets and continues to be covered. The idea that it was kept under the radar seems to be the result of that repeated narrative spreading on social media.

I think with the internet it can be easy to think googling/reading for 30 mins makes you an expert on a topic, so we are getting a lot of hysteria without much contextual knowledge of these chemicals and that,
mixed with social media, makes for a bad combination.

That said, I do 100 percent get the fear. Obviously, environmental toxins are a real threat and there is a history of these things not being dealt with ethically//not telling people of the danger.

[pixy0stix]

Feb 14, 2023 12:23:59 GMT -5 Michelle said:

Regarding the coverage topic - as someone mentioned above, Trump deregulation led to this crash. Another mention I saw (need to go find a source) was that in addition to the brakes already mentioned, the regulation Trump got rid of was about #engineers per train - it was proposed that one engineer could manage a 5 mile long train, and while this train probably had more than one engineer, poor staffing for safety may have contributed to the crash as well.

So there are multiple points about trump deregulation leading to crashes like this that have safety, health, and economic impact that is potentially far reaching that is of concern.

I'd like to read this. I saw it glancingly mentioned in a few articles.

[pixy0stix]

The Hill has a good summary of everything going on that is fairly moderate and straight forward - thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3857172-five-lingering-questions-over-ohio-train-derailment-toxic-spill/

(A reminder that The Hill is a reputable conservative leaning news source.)

[melmaria]

Feb 14, 2023 13:43:44 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

The Hill has a good summary of everything going on that is fairly moderate and straight forward - thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3857172-five-lingering-questions-over-ohio-train-derailment-toxic-spill/

(A reminder that The Hill is a reputable conservative leaning news source.)

Not to detract from the article, but why do we think The Hill is conservative leaning? I’ve always found it very centrist. (Posting the links below not to be annoying but to confirm whether I’m going crazy).

mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-hill/

www.allsides.com/news-source/hill-media-bias

adfontesmedia.com/hill-bias-and-reliability/

[pixy0stix]

Feb 14, 2023 14:33:11 GMT -5 melmaria said:

Feb 14, 2023 13:43:44 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

The Hill has a good summary of everything going on that is fairly moderate and straight forward - thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3857172-five-lingering-questions-over-ohio-train-derailment-toxic-spill/

(A reminder that The Hill is a reputable conservative leaning news source.)

Not to detract from the article, but why do we think The Hill is conservative leaning? I’ve always found it very centrist. (Posting the links below not to be annoying but to confirm whether I’m going crazy).

mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-hill/

www.allsides.com/news-source/hill-media-bias

adfontesmedia.com/hill-bias-and-reliability/

Interesting - I want to say that in years past it's been center/conservative on those sites.

ETA: I wonder if the definition of conservative is changing. I haven't checked where some of these websites lean since before Trump.

[melmaria]

Feb 14, 2023 14:39:16 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Feb 14, 2023 14:33:11 GMT -5 melmaria said:

Not to detract from the article, but why do we think The Hill is conservative leaning? I’ve always found it very centrist. (Posting the links below not to be annoying but to confirm whether I’m going crazy).

mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-hill/

www.allsides.com/news-source/hill-media-bias

adfontesmedia.com/hill-bias-and-reliability/

Interesting - I want to say that in years past it's been center/conservative on those sites.

ETA: I wonder if the definition of conservative is changing. I haven't checked where some of these websites lean since before Trump.

Maybe. Nothing about this site has struck me as leaning conservative, but given increased polarization of most news media and politics lately, viewing even supposedly “neutral” media sites through our own political lenses probably has an impact.

(I don’t read The Hill regularly by any means, so I’m only commenting on the pieces I see linked here and there).

[notreal]

Feb 14, 2023 14:41:31 GMT -5 ewall said:

Feb 14, 2023 9:08:20 GMT -5 notreal said:

Nitro?

I’m going to guess more of the MOV area, probably around where Dark Waters movie played out. Although it is wild (to me) to see Nitro mentioned here!

I missed the Ohio part in her original comment so I am sure you are right.  Chemicals have screwed over a LOT of places.

[nothingcontroversial]

Feb 14, 2023 7:12:42 GMT -5 imimahoney said:

Feb 14, 2023 6:30:11 GMT -5 SwimDeep said:

I read yesterday that the EPA is there and has done some things (dams and such) to prevent the runoff from reaching the Ohio River. But I read that on a random Twitter account. I don't have a link to a proper article.

I feel like if the things I'm seeing on Twitter are true, this would definitely be getting national coverage.

Right? Twitter/tik tok are making it out to the be the next love canal.

If that's true why isn't there more coverage??

You're hilarious. It has been all over the Pittsburgh news. My sister is staying with her boyfriend in Western Ohio and she said that it's all over the news there as well. She watched the televised press conference right after it happened. The governors of both Pennsylvania and Ohio showed up and spoke. There are tons and tons of threads about this on the Pittsburgh reddit board. There's no cover up. 

[imimahoney]

Feb 14, 2023 17:57:43 GMT -5 nothingcontroversial said:

Feb 14, 2023 7:12:42 GMT -5 imimahoney said:

Right? Twitter/tik tok are making it out to the be the next love canal.

If that's true why isn't there more coverage??

You're hilarious. It has been all over the Pittsburgh news. My sister is staying with her boyfriend in Western Ohio and she said that it's all over the news there as well. She watched the televised press conference right after it happened. The governors of both Pennsylvania and Ohio showed up and spoke. There are tons and tons of threads about this on the Pittsburgh reddit board. There's no cover up. 

I never thought there was a cover up. I was more wondering if all of the crap out there was an exaggeration.

And as I stated earlier I was referring to national coverage, not local.

As it's been stated above, the sm stuff is most likely a combo of right wing pushed hysteria, armchair scientists and unfortunately, people don't focus a ton on environmental issues.

[Michelle]

Feb 14, 2023 13:29:52 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Feb 14, 2023 12:23:59 GMT -5 Michelle said:

Regarding the coverage topic - as someone mentioned above, Trump deregulation led to this crash. Another mention I saw (need to go find a source) was that in addition to the brakes already mentioned, the regulation Trump got rid of was about #engineers per train - it was proposed that one engineer could manage a 5 mile long train, and while this train probably had more than one engineer, poor staffing for safety may have contributed to the crash as well.

So there are multiple points about trump deregulation leading to crashes like this that have safety, health, and economic impact that is potentially far reaching that is of concern.

I'd like to read this. I saw it glancingly mentioned in a few articles.

I can't seem to find the 5 miles of train comment... i wonder if it has been retracted.

This speaks to some safety concerns environmentally and references huge layoffs, but nothing substantial about staffing impact. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/11/ohio-train-derailment-wake-up-call

[rubytue]

Feb 14, 2023 14:39:16 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Feb 14, 2023 14:33:11 GMT -5 melmaria said:

Not to detract from the article, but why do we think The Hill is conservative leaning? I’ve always found it very centrist. (Posting the links below not to be annoying but to confirm whether I’m going crazy).

mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-hill/

www.allsides.com/news-source/hill-media-bias

adfontesmedia.com/hill-bias-and-reliability/

Interesting - I want to say that in years past it's been center/conservative on those sites.

ETA: I wonder if the definition of conservative is changing. I haven't checked where some of these websites lean since before Trump.

FWIW, I think you are right. Traditionally, it was just right of neutral, but trump did a fruit basket turnover on many things. Personally, I think of it as more republican like my FIL was Republican… which is not anymore, but the eye rolling “fiscal conservative” Reagan fan boy types.

[intheden]

I'm about 40 mins from E. Palestine. It's a mess there. People are very concerned as livestock and pets are dying. Yesterday they announced that there were more chemicals in the trains that originally thought. I feel horrible for the residents there. It's a poor area to begin with, so of course not everyone could evacuate. Those that did were probably told they could return before it was actually safe. 

[pixy0stix]

Feb 15, 2023 7:26:36 GMT -5 intheden said:

I'm about 40 mins from E. Palestine. It's a mess there. People are very concerned as livestock and pets are dying. Yesterday they announced that there were more chemicals in the trains that originally thought. I feel horrible for the residents there. It's a poor area to begin with, so of course not everyone could evacuate. Those that did were probably told they could return before it was actually safe. 

Per this CNN article, they haven't been able to confirm that animals are dying - aka nothing has been reported or investigated - www.cnn.com/2023/02/15/us/toxic-chemicals-train-derailments-explainer/index.html