In an effort to roll back carbon emissions, the White House and U.S. Department of Transportation viewed revitalizing the freight rail system as a way to reduce diesel truck usage. Following the recent East Palestine, Ohio, troubling facts have come to light regarding the railroads’ safety record. The question for the Biden Administration, and people living in communities along the tracks is: Can the railroads be trusted to handle even more freight?
If you ask the federal Surface Transportation Board, the answer might be a resounding yes. The Board recently approved a merger application for the Canada Pacific and Kansas City Southern rail that promises to take upwards of 64,000 over-the-road loads away from the trucking industry annually. Together, the organizations plan to establish a single-line rail that connects the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. The goal appears to be to profit from snatching work from CDL professionals and freight carriers.
“It gives shippers new markets and easier lengths of haul and movements between Canada and Mexico,” FTR Intelligence’s vice president of rail and intermodal Todd Tranausky reportedly said. “Particularly for grain shippers, for some auto parts shippers, potentially for intermodal as well. The merger could significantly heat up competition.”
But does the merger serve the public interest, particularly in light of the East Palestine derailment that resulted in toxic chemical bursting into flames, more than 1.1 million pounds of contaminated soil, poisoned drinking water, and significant human health ailments.
Since the Ohio train wreck garnered national attention, other crashes were reported within 24 hours that also posed a danger to communities and wildlife. In Wyndmere, North Dakota, 31 cars went off the tracks, spilling liquid asphalt, ethylene glycol, and propylene. In San Bernardino, California, 55 cars derailed at 80 mph and Hazmat teams needed to be called to the scene. In Raymond, Minnesota, people had to be evacuated in the middle of the night following a fiery rail crash. And on the Swinomish Tribal Reservation in Washington State, a BNSF train derailed dumping 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel on tribal lands near Puget Sound.
What may be more troubling than trying to take away truck drivers’ livelihoods is how grossly underreported train accidents remain. The public may not realize it, but the Bureau of Transportation Statistics recorded 1,743 train wrecks in 2022. Many required Hazmat crews to clean up toxins that impacted communities. Is this really a solution to lowering the carbon emissions released while distributing 72 percent of all goods and materials in the U.S.?
https://time.com/6260906/train-derailmentments-how-common/
https://www.bts.gov/content/train-fatalities-injuries-and-accidents-type-accidenta
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