Back in 1991 the National Transportation
Safety Board first identified oil trains as unsafe — the tank cars,
specifically ones called DOT-111s, were too thin and punctured too
easily, making transport of flammable liquids like oil unreasonably
dangerous. As bad as this might sound, at the very least there was not a
lot of oil being carried on the rails in 1991.
Now, in the midst of a North American oil
boom, oil companies are using fracking and tar sands mining to produce
crude in remote areas of the U.S. and Canada. To get the crude to
refineries on the coasts the oil industry is ramping up transport by oil
trains. In 2008, 9,500 crude oil tank cars moved on US rails. In 2013
the number was more than 400,000! With this rapid growth comes a looming
threat to public safety and the environment. No one — not federal
regulators or local firefighters — are prepared for oil train
derailments, spills and explosions.
Unfortunately, the rapid increase in oil trains has already meant many more oil train disasters. Railroads spilled more oil in 2013 than in the previous 40 years combined.
Trains are the most efficient way to move
freight and people. This is why train tracks run through our cities and
towns. Our rail system was never designed to move hazardous materials,
however; if it was, train tracks would not run next to schools and under
football stadiums. MORE
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