In 2017 rail industry donors delivered more than $6 million to federal politicians who responded by rescinding the rule aimed at making better braking systems widespread on the nation’s rails.
Norfolk Southern had previously touted the new technology — known as Electronically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) brakes — for its “potential to reduce train stopping distances by as much as 60 percent over conventional air brake systems.”
So why didn't Norfolk Southern install them on it's railcars? Immediate expenses vs the risk of a billion dollar federal govt fine for a fuck up like this derailment in Ohio, when the railway company is negligent and liable.
Neither this, nor the last, president have put pressure on the right govt agencies to reinstate the brake rule or expand the kinds of trains subjected to tougher safety regulations, such as the National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency that is investigating the accident and that had originally called for more expansive rules governing the transport of hazardous materials.
Two of five train cars believed to be carrying vinyl chloride, contained 177,000 pounds, 88,000 tons of the chemical, were likely to have been filled with the gas, and temperature changes could have set it off, officials said at the news conference.
That left leaders with two bad choices: release a gas known for its deadly potential if inhaled and associated with a higher risk of cancer or stand back for an extended period of time with the potential for an explosion.
Authorities said an explosion would come with two dangers, including the same one that comes with a controlled release, exposure to a hazardous material.
"The vinyl chloride contents of five rail cars are currently unstable and could potentially explode, causing deadly disbursement of shrapnel and toxic fumes," DeWine said.
And, did you know what Ohio has, besides this haz mat train wreck (both metaphorically and in reality)?
Erin Brockovich weighing in
Yeah, an environmental activist and law clerk so amazing a movie was made about her in her lifetime, because though she isn't a lawyer, her lawsuit resulted in the largest class action suit in American history, 333 million dollars, from PG&E, on behalf of people who had unknowingly been exposed to toxic waste.
Once again, ypur perspicacity exposes to us that which the news media does not report in depth. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAwww thank you! The rarest of things, a 2nd compliment of the day!
DeleteAs the great Tom Sowell has pointed out numerous times, there are never solutions to a problem, only trade-offs. Thus far no one has offered an opinion regarding the cause of this wreck, and rightly so as it’s not feasible investigate the matter at this point. Therefore the cause---or by definition the ‘problem’---is unknown presently.
ReplyDeleteThere have been reports of a wheel sparking in the train prior to the wreck. If those reports are true, the probability is very high that 1) the affected car had a hot journal bearing or 2) it had a sticky brake. In either case the amount of heat generated by either of these issues is enormous, and if undetected will result in a catastrophe 100% of the time.
Without affirming the wreck’s cause to be a result of railroad push-back against electric assisted train braking, the main stream media and this post have, without any basis, confused the issue by discussing the technology in the context of reporting on the incident. If the Ohio catastrophe was a result of a sticking brake or hotbox, electric assisted braking---as I understand it---would be as relevant as the price of coffee at Starbucks.
Trains routinely haul all kinds of nasty chemicals and those chemicals are often the very heart of many consumer products we all use every day. So how then can we assure that the instant scenario in Ohio is never repeated?
Well, let’s consider banning the manufacture and transport of vinyl chloride, for instance. What will we use for residential and commercial plumbing? Could go back to using lead pipes again, but we already know how that turned out. Maybe copper? We also already know what that would do to the price of a new house, apartment complex or commercial building if we could even find enough to sustain the building industry---to say nothing of the nightmare miners would have dealing with the EPA, local activists, the courts etc when a significant deposit is located. Given those realities CVP is not a bad alternative. But you need vinyl chloride for that stuff, and you need a way to transport it from manufacturer to user. Reasonable but imperfect transportation options? Trucks, trains and horse drawn wagons.
Not overlooking the suffering and hardship the folks in Ohio are experiencing and will into the future, trains are the only sensible way to move these nasty chemicals we all rely on. And in spite of the best political efforts of the regulators, Ohio will not be the last of these incidents. Like it or not, that’s just the nature of the beast. Stuff happens!
It grieves me to have to say this but out of necessity I have to. My remarks should not be construed to be a defense of everything the rail industry does. But at this point no one knows what caused this wreck, and until that source is determined it would serve the interests of truth to proceed carefully with what we have to say about it.