The risks of transporting oil by train

boom-oil-by-rail

It was an unlikely source, and it had a click-baity headline, but The Weather Channel impressed me on one of their latest stories, done in partnership with the nonprofit InsideClimate News, about the growing risks around America’s recent oil boom.

The article, linked above, and whose video portion is also embedded above, featured well-presented content about America’s unexpected recent growth in oil production, and how the infrastructure failed to keep up, leading to an enormous increase of oil transport by rail. But because rail infrastructure was deemed less important until recently, tanker cars that aren’t well protected in case of derailment, and because what is believed to be more volatile oil coming from North Dakota, the risks of transporting an increasing amount of oil by rail, all across the country, have grown. A number of accidents only amplify concerns, but ultimately, not much has changed.

It’s a good piece, certainly with a point of view, but it does hit a lot of interesting points either way. Kudos to The Weather Channel for taking this on, even if it’s not specifically weather-related. Be sure to check out the full article page for the entire presentation – it’s well done.

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