To the editor: Due to the oil train disaster in Mosier, there has been much uproar among the public, but no one has provided any solutions. Their view is to shut down the rail oil tank car traffic in the Columbia Gorge corridor, without seeking alternatives. I am offering a solution that can resolve safety concerns.
To the editor: I found myself greeting friends last night with “glad to still see you.” Crass, yes. But when the shock of a situation of this magnitude is still passing through you…well, some of us try to find the bright side. We’re still alive.
By PETER CORNELISON, KATE MCBRIDE, and LAURENT PICARD
On July 6, 2013, a train carrying highly flammable oil from the Bakken region derailed and burned in the town of Lac-Megantic, Quebec, resulting in explosions so violent that several city blocks were flattened and 47 victims were incinerated, 5 of whom were never found.
The focus on oil trains running through the Gorge has largely remained on the Washington side, where the vast majority of crude, particularly coming from the Bakken formation in North Dakota, enters the National Scenic area.
After not acting on requests in May and June to take a stand against oil and coal shipments in the Gorge, Gorge commissioners promised a frustrated crowd last month it would do so in July.
BILLINGS, Mont. — U.S. railroads forced to turn over details of their volatile crude oil shipments are asking states to sign agreements not to disclose the information. But some states are refusing, saying Thursday that the information shouldn’t be kept from the public.
