Commentary
By Gary Kopycinski
Are you in the blast zone if an oil train explodes? I am.
"The derailment and explosion Monday in West Virginia of a 100-car tanker train carrying crude oil is just the latest in a string of such accidents in recent years in the wake of the North American drilling boom. The CSX train, which was traveling from North Dakota to Pennsylvania, dumped oil into the Kanawha River. The accident came just a day after an oil train derailed in Ontario, Canada.
"The question, is how close do you live to a potential oil train blast zone?
"The environmental group ForestEthics tapped data from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to create an interactive map showing the United States Department of Transportation’s evacuation and blast zones surrounding oil train lines. Punch in your address here to see how close you live to a potential oil train derailment."
Do you live in a blast zone? I do.
Click here to see if you do too. And take action, whether you do or not.
Gary Kopycinski is editor and publisher of eNews Park Forest and a village trustee in Park Forest. He is also a candidate in the April 7, 2015 consolidated election in Park Forest. His reporting is his own. eNews Park Forest, Inc. is an independent media company and is not affiliated with the Village of Park Forest in any way.
