Feds are "on the ground": Buttigieg, other officials respond to western Minnesota train derailment

RAYMOND, Minn. -- After several train cars derailed and caught fire in a small western Minnesota town Thursday morning, both national and local officials are offering words of support.

The derailment in Raymond happened around 1 a.m., according to authorities and BNSF Railway. Nearly two dozen cars derailed, some of them carrying ethanol and corn syrup. Part of the town was evacuated as authorities investigated and crews began cleaning up.

READ MORE: Since 2018, there have been 60 train derailments in Minnesota

Later in the morning, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz arrived at the derailment site to survey the damage. In a statement, he said he's pledged the full support of the state. 

"I am immensely grateful for the swift, coordinated response between local, state, and national partners to ensure the immediate safety of the Raymond community," Walz said. "The state's multi-agency emergency response team will continue working on the ground to ensure health and safety. This incident has highlighted the critical need to invest in rail safety and the state's emergency management response to prevent incidents like this from happening again."   

U.S. Secretary of State Pete Buttigieg said the Federal Railroad Administration is responding and investigating.

Buttigieg also spoke about the derailment from DFW International Airport Thursday morning.

"Let me just say specifically overnight there was a derailment that has led to a fire and evacuation in a community in western Minnesota," Buttigieg said. "It's called Raymond and it's about 100 miles west of Minneapolis. I've spoken with the governor and made sure they know that they have our support. EPA will take the lead on the environmental response and NTSB will likely have a role there too. And we've had personnel on the ground from the early hours and will be there to support anyway we can."

Buttigieg said the U.S. is seeing roughly three derailments per day this year

"We want to see that level keep going down and in order to make sure that happens, we need to raise the bar, in my view, on railroad safety," he said. "We're taking additional actions at the FRA and with the authorities and powers that we do have, we're calling on Congress to do more. There's bipartisan legislation in the senate that would give us more tools to hold the freight railroads accountable for their safety practices. I'm hoping we can put politics aside and get that to the president's desk because I know he supports it as well."   

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is one of eight co-sponsors of the Railway Safety Act, which was introduced after the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio in February.

"Americans should be able to sleep soundly without the fear that they will be woken in the middle of the night and told to evacuate their homes due to a train derailment," Klobuchar said. "While I am glad that residents are back in their homes, this derailment underscores once again why we must pass federal rail safety legislation."

U.S. Sen. Tina Smith expressed gratitude to the first responders who arrived at the site early Thursday morning. 

"I'm grateful for their quick response and leadership that keep Minnesotans safe," she said. "But today's derailment is another reminder that Congress needs to act on rail safety now." 

Smith added that she's also co-sponsoring the Railway Safety Act. 

Rep. Michelle Fischbach, who represents the 7th Congressional District which includes Raymond, released the following statement.

State Rep. Dave Baker, who represents Raymond and the rest of District 16B, also released a statement.

"First of all, I am grateful that this tragic situation has not resulted in any injuries or fatalities," Baker said. "We all owe a debt of gratitude to our first responders who reacted quickly to evacuate the area and made sure residents could be moved to safety. I would also like to thank the generous residents of Prinsburg and the Central Minnesota Christian School for stepping up and making sure that the evacuated had a place to go. Moving forward, I remain in constant contact with city, county, state, and federal officials to make sure that the community has the support they need."

State Sen. Andrew Lang also responded.

"Thank you to the first responders who acted quickly to address the situation and ensure everyone in and around the Raymond community is safe and accounted for," he said. "We must also recognize and thank surrounding communities and local organizations who immediately stepped up to ensure every displaced person has a place to go as the situation gets resolved. I plan to be out there today, willing to offer any assistance necessary."

State Rep. Frank Hornstein, chair of the House Transportation Finance Committee released a statement about the derailment.

"Today's derailment in western Minnesota demonstrates the urgency to act on needed rail safety improvements and prevent incidents like this from happening again," he said. "The railroad industry needs to put safety above profits. The fact that they are actively opposed to fund two additional rail inspectors in the transportation budget bill is deeply concerning. I applaud first responders for their quick work to keep residents of Raymond safe during this disaster."

On Friday, Senators Klobuchar and Smith and Rep. Fischbach will be in Raymond to receive an update on the train derailment and tour the site.

In:
• Pete Buttigieg
• Tim Walz
• Train Derailment