More About Those Bomb Trains (and Barges)
When fifteen cars carrying volatile crude oil derailed in Lynchburg, Virginia, at the end of April, city officials and emergency responders had no idea that oil was passing through their city on that day. To help local responders prepare for such disasters, a federal directive was issued in May to CSX and other U.S. railroads to disclose to local emergency responders the routes trains transporting crude oil would be taking and the amount of oil they would be carrying. CSX is now asking states--New York among them--to agree to keep this information secret from the public, in the interest of "home security."
The story was reported by Dave Lucas on WAMC this afternoon. Click here to listen.
On the same topic, on Wednesday, June 17, in Saugerties, Riverkeeper will make a presentation about the risks of transporting crude oil through the Hudson Valley, as part of an educational community forum hosted by Frack Free Catskills. The forum makes place from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Saugerties Library, 91 Washington Street.
"Home Security" is a spurious justification. Ian and I drove by the Albany Port yesterday. We saw at least 45 black railway cars waiting to be dispatched. In other words, all you need is half way decent eye-sight to know when one of these bomb trains is on the move.
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