A train that derailed and spilled 35,000 gallons of oil in northeastern Montana was traveling within authorized speed limits, federal officials said Monday as they continued to probe the accident’s cause.
GasBuddy started an emergency petition on Friday calling on Governor Brown to obtain an EPA waiver to prevent gasoline price increases of at least 50-cents a gallon in Southern California and 30-cents in Northern California.
After a series of spectacular oil-train crashes and accompanying horrific fires. Reuters reported that the United States and Canada are in the finalization stage before announcing that the current safety upgrade for rail-tankers will be suspended and new higher flammability requirement will be adopted railroad oil-tanker safety designs.
The rail cars that split open and burst into flames during a western Illinois oil train derailment this week had been retrofitted with protective shields to meet a higher safety standard than federal law requires, according to railroad officials.
Another 100-plus tanker oil train carrying crude from North Dakota’s Bakken Field derailed Tuesday morning, causing an explosive fire near the West Virginia state capital of Charleston. Local residents were forced to flee their homes in frigid weather as firefighters battled the blaze.
On Sunday, the Center for Biological Diversity held a public forum at the San Jose City Hall to educate residents about what they believe are the dangers of so called oil-trains. According to the Center, tar sands oil and heavy crudes that will be brought in from Canada are most toxic, carbon intensive and dirtiest fuels on the planet.