- Nearing, Brian. "Crude Oil Trains Can "outgun" Local Firefighters." Times Union. June 8, 2015. Accessed October 04, 2015. http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Crude-oil-trains-can-outgun-local-firefighters-6315032.php.
- What two (or more) quotes capture the message of the article?
- McCoy called the meeting to bring lessons learned in oil train accidents to the Capital Region, where crude oil trains from North Dakota each week bring millions of gallons of highly flammable crude oil to the Port of Albany, often passing very close to homes and businesses along the tracks. "It is not a matter of if, but a matter of when," said McCoy. "This is far from over."
- He (Fred Miller) said the federal government has done too little to require railroads to reveal the scheduling and content of oil trains to local emergency planning officials by allowing rail companies to be exempted from federal right-to-know laws. "An uninformed community means dead firefighters ... It is un-American to keep citizens in the dark," said Millar.
- What is the main point of the article, and how is it supported?
- On Monday, June 8th, Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, along with County Sherriff Craig Apple, held a “Crude Oil Summit” at the College of Saint Rose. The summit hosted several first responders from areas where there have been major oil train spills/derailments, such as Lynchburg, VA and Rangeley, ME. About 100 Albany County residents attended the summit to listen to these stories. McCoy arranged the panel to show Albany residents to take this oil trains situation seriously without creating any panic.
- What actors (individuals or organizations) are referred to? (Provide names and short descriptions.)
- Albany County Executive Dan McCoy – He was the main reason this event took place. He has taken an aggressive stance on the oil trains, calling out the DOT and saying they have not done enough to protect it’s citizens from these “bombs”.
- Tim Pellerin – He is the fire chief of the department that responded to an oil-train derailment/fire in Maine in 2013. His harrowing account of the carnage left by the train shook the people who attended the summit.
- US Department of Transportation – The whole point of the summit was to point out the potential dangers of oil trains, which fall under the DOT.
- What kind of causation or responsibility is argued or implied in the article?
- The DOT has a responsibility to protect it’s citizens and require more stringent laws for oil train cars. Thicker hulls, warning areas of what is contained in the trains, and where/when they will be going are all viable options to make possible emergencies more manageable.
- How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
- Look above.
- What three points, details or references from the article did you follow up on to advance your understanding of the issued and actors described in the article?
- I tried to find what else Dan McCoy was doing to fight the oil trains and found that he plans on filing a law suit on behalf of the county against the energy company Global Partners, saying that they did not comply with CAA standards near the Ezra Prentice Apartments. The news article on this story is annotated in a separate annotation.
- This article has also made me more curious about what recent federal regulations have been passed in regards to the oil trains and if there are any plans to make any more changes.