It only took ten days, but Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg finally spoke up about the Norfolk and Southern trainwreck of February 3rd. The crash spewed tons of toxic chemicals and noxious gasses into the air. It also spilled an unspecified amount of suspected carcinogens, soaking the ground and potentially contaminating groundwater. Ten days later, at Monday’s communities conference on construction, Buttieget railed on black smoke that billowed from the wreckage.
But his concern was not for the residents of the small Ohio town. Nor did it have anything to do with railroad safety or necessary clean-up efforts. Rather, Buttigieg continued his long-standing rant against transportation racism. “It’s absolute bull$h!t that that Norfolk and Southern only released toxic Black smoke during this incident. This is a perfect example of railroad racism at its finest. Or should I say worst. It’s no accident that they only released Black smoke in a town that is made up of 94% white people. Norfolk & Southern has no understanding of their contribution to the toxic whiteness that permeates every aspect of the transportation sector. Nor do they understand how this sort of micro-aggression impacts American lives in general.” Buttigieg continued his rant, targeting mainstream media. “I’m also disappointed in the press. Their 24-7 coverage ensures that images of toxic black smoke remain indelible reminders of how everything Black is bad.”
This isn’t the first time Buttigieg has gone off the rails on his pet topic of transportation racism. Just weeks ago, Damascus Dispatch reported on his effort to remove racist and otherwise triggering dashboard indicators. There is little hope that any transportation improvements or significant breakthroughs will be made under the current administration. But we can rest easy knowing that Buttigieg will make everything less white. Except the smoke, he’s totally OK with toxic white smoke.