Thanks to Anna Maria Gibson with ABC News Radio for contacting us for an interview this morning and thanks to the national audience who is listening on May 1, 2014.
We are sorry to learn about the oil train derailment and explosion in Lynchburg, VA on April 30, 2014. Our prayers go out to the residents of Lynchburg and all those living downwind and downstream.
This oil train explosion is just the latest in a string of 5 oil train explosions which has rocked North America. It is unacceptable that the US government has not intervened to keep North Americans safe. It appears as though they have a “see no evil” attitude toward the oil by rail industry considering that existing laws prohibit Federal Railroad Administration and Department Of Transportation rail safety inspectors from using monitoring equipment during their inspections. This lack of proper inspections from oil well to refinery has put us all at risk. The government is allowing the oil industry to “self regulate” and it obviously isn’t working.
The rail car production industry is also to blame as they are choosing to use unsafe, outdated rail technology in the construction of these railcars. The oil companies are also to blame for not scrubbing the explosive gases from the crude oil before they ship it in these outdated rail cars.
If the US government refuses to conduct scientific monitoring of explosive crude oil trains then it is up to the citizens to engage in such monitoring. Vancouver Action Network citizen scientists have recently started scientific monitoring of these trains using a FLIR Gasfindir video camera and you can find YouTube videos of our monitoring efforts below. We will continue to engage in this valuable monitoring project and thank you for your support of our efforts.
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