From the New York Times, news that the Department of Transportation is thinking about rail safety for tank cars carrying crude oil from the Bakken shale:
The Department of Transportation said the major railroads had agreed to eight voluntary measures one month after the secretary of transportation, Anthony R. Foxx, met with railroad executives in response to a series of derailments and explosions involving trains carrying crude oil.
The measures, which did not involve public comments, include lowering speed limits for oil trains in some cities, increasing the frequency of track inspections, adding more brakes on trains and improving the training of emergency medical workers. The Department of Transportation said these steps would be taken quickly and that it was still considering other longer-term measures...Seems to me that if we're getting railroads agreeing to things, this is a sign that they're moving voluntary to avoid federal regulation. We'll see.
How long have they been thinking about safety? Since the Iron Horse was invented?
ReplyDeleteWhy bother with more brakes, the explosion will stop things nicely.