Ohio Chemical Train Disaster Spotlights Vacancy at US Regulator
- Biden has yet to nominate leader of hazardous shipping agency
- White House battles criticism over its response to crisis
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President Joe Biden has yet to nominate someone to the lead the federal agency that regulates the transport of hazardous materials, including the toxic chemicals that spilled following the fiery derailment of a Norfolk Southern Corp. train in Ohio this month.
The Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has been without an administrator since Biden took office in January 2021. That vacancy has come into focus as the White House tries to quell a political crisis over its response to the Feb. 3 crash that resulted in the release of a soup of toxic chemicals.