"U.S. Proposes Faster Changes in Oil Trains"
"Federal regulators said on Wednesday that they would require railroads and oil shippers to use stronger tank cars to transport crude oil within two years."
Source: NY Times, 07/24/2014
Transportation
"Speed of Oil Tank Cars ‘An Issue': DOT Secretary"
"The speed of rail tank cars used in crude-by-rail shipments 'is an issue' that the Transportation Department may address in an upcoming safety rule, Secretary Anthony Foxx said."
Source: Bloomberg BNA, 07/23/2014
Many States Hide Rail Hazmat Threats From Public at Companies' Behest
It's not like you can't figure these things out. Trains full of explosive crude oil, for example, may be obvious as a string of 100-odd identical black tankers rolls through populated areas. The number on the DOT-required diamond-shaped flammability placard on each car probably has the number 1257 on it. But it's not just crude oil that's an issue.
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"Influence Game: Shaping Railroad Safety Rules"
"WASHINGTON — A string of fiery train derailments across the country has triggered a high-stakes but behind-the-scenes campaign to shape how the government responds to calls for tighter safety rules. Billions of dollars are riding on how these rules are written, and lobbyists from the railroads, tank car manufacturers and the oil, ethanol and chemical industries have met 13 times since March with officials at the White House and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration."
Source: AP, 07/14/2014
Will Safety Trump Secrecy in Oil-by-Rail?
Should firefighters and residents know whether trains loaded with explosive oil are routed through the heart of residential districts? Many railroads say no, claiming it is a security issue. But on June 18, 2014, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) dismissed that claim, saying that oil train routing was not sensitive security information. Yet the railroads are fighting back.
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TransCanada Shuts Down Southern Leg of KXL Pipeline, Raising Suspicions
"TransCanada shut down the southern leg of the Keystone XL (now called the Gulf Coast Pipeline Project) on June 2 for 'routine work,' according to Reuters. "
Source: DeSmogBlog, 06/05/2014
"Lung Illnesses More Likely Near Logan Airport"
"Children who live in neighborhoods bordering Logan International Airport are as much as four times more likely to wheeze, experience shortness of breath, and exhibit other signs of undiagnosed asthma compared with children who live farther away, according to a long-awaited state report released Wednesday night."
Source: Boston Globe, 05/29/2014
You Can Hide Oil Trains From the Public, But Not From Terrorists
As 100-car trains of explosive crude oil snake through U.S. cities and river gorges, the railroad industry continues to tell the public they are being kept secret from terrorists. But now a series of articles by Rob Davis for the The (Portland) Oregonian seems to have caught the railroads and the feds in their own contradictions.
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Journos Fight Feds To Keep Drones As News Tool
More than a dozen news media organizations filed a brief May 6, 2014, arguing that the Federal Aviation Administration is violating the First Amendment with its limits on drones. The media groups were intervening in the appeal of a judge's overturning of a $10,000 Federal Aviation Administration fine imposed on Raphael Pirker, a videographer who shot a promotional video of the University of Virginia campus.
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"Agreement Reached on $8.2B Waterways Bill"
"Lawmakers in the House and Senate said Thursday evening that they have reached an agreement on an $8.2 billion bill to boost U.S. ports and waterways."
Source: The Hill, 05/09/2014
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