Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Take Action to Stop Dangerous Oil by Rail - 24 hrs left

  
The Obama Administration recently released proposed regulations for transporting volatile crude by rail. Unfortunately, these new rules actually protect oil industry profits while sacrificing public safety and the environment.



Dear Friend,

Imagine learning your home or even your child's school could be incinerated by a train carrying highly flammable oil. For 25 million Americans this is a frightening daily reality.

Last month — after a record year of oil trains derailing, spilling, and exploding across the country — President Obama proposed new regulations for unsafe tank cars. [1] 

But shockingly, these new rules cater heavily to Big Oil, protecting industry profits while sacrificing public safety and the health of our air and water. [2]

This summer, thousands took a stand against dangerous oil by rail by attending rallies across the country and submitting more than 5,000 petition signatures. Now it's time for the next step in the fight as the Obama Administration accepts public comments on these new regulations.


Right now, oil companies are moving volatile crude through our backyards and over waterways in rail cars that are so notoriously unsafe the National Transportation Safety Board has declared them an "imminent hazard" to the public. [3]

But the oil industry has callously opposed a half-dozen life-saving measures like lowering train speeds and using safer tank car designs. [4] Their excuse? They cost too much. It's outrageous — how many lives is a tank car of crude worth to these wealthy oil companies?


With major oil train accidents happening across the country, from Alabama to North Dakota, it's no longer a question of if but when the next disaster will strike. Will you join us to stop explosive oil trains?

Thank you!

References:

1. Tate, Curtis (2014 January 20). "More oil spilled from trains in 2013 than in previous 4 decades, federal data show." McClatchy DC.
2. Krogh, Matt (2014 July 23). "Feeble, Fiery, and Frustrating: The Top 10 reasons to hate Obama's new standards for explosive oil trains." The Root Word: ForestEthics Blog.
3. Mouawad, Jad (2014 May 7). "U.S. issues safety alert for oil trains." The New York Times.
4. Mikulka, Justin (2014 August 4). "American Petroleum Institute Shaping Weak Oil-By-Rail Regulations."DailyKos.

thanks to Forest Ethics for this petition

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