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The CP train was transporting crude oil near the village of Jansen when it slipped off the tracks, The Canadian Press reports.
This most recent derailment is another reminder of the dangers of transporting oil.
"The spill may again prompt concerns about the environmental risks of shipping crude on railways and raise questions about CP's safety record as the company pushes hard to cut costs and boost efficiency under new executive leadership," Reuters reports.
As Canadian oil development, including the tar sands, speeds up, oil spills from both freight trains and pipelines across Canada and the U.S. have increased.
Meanwhile, the Canadian government and the fossil fuel industry have stepped up pressure on the Obama administration to OK the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline--which would churn 900,000 barrels of dirty tar sands oil into the United States per day.
But much of the U.S. public continues to urge the Obama administration and Canada's Harper administration to leave the oil in the ground.
As environmentalists have noted, the question is not about whether it is safer to transport the oil by rail or by pipeline.
As 350.org spokesperson Jamie Henn has said, "Saying we need to consume tar sands via pipeline because rail lines are dangerous is like saying we need to smoke crack because its better than heroin. Pipelines are also prone to disaster, just look at Exxon's recent spill in the Yellowstone River or the major Enbridge disaster in Kalamazoo."
"The real way to protect our land, water and climate is to break our addiction, not debate delivery mechanisms for the poison," said Henn.
_______________________
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

The CP train was transporting crude oil near the village of Jansen when it slipped off the tracks, The Canadian Press reports.
This most recent derailment is another reminder of the dangers of transporting oil.
"The spill may again prompt concerns about the environmental risks of shipping crude on railways and raise questions about CP's safety record as the company pushes hard to cut costs and boost efficiency under new executive leadership," Reuters reports.
As Canadian oil development, including the tar sands, speeds up, oil spills from both freight trains and pipelines across Canada and the U.S. have increased.
Meanwhile, the Canadian government and the fossil fuel industry have stepped up pressure on the Obama administration to OK the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline--which would churn 900,000 barrels of dirty tar sands oil into the United States per day.
But much of the U.S. public continues to urge the Obama administration and Canada's Harper administration to leave the oil in the ground.
As environmentalists have noted, the question is not about whether it is safer to transport the oil by rail or by pipeline.
As 350.org spokesperson Jamie Henn has said, "Saying we need to consume tar sands via pipeline because rail lines are dangerous is like saying we need to smoke crack because its better than heroin. Pipelines are also prone to disaster, just look at Exxon's recent spill in the Yellowstone River or the major Enbridge disaster in Kalamazoo."
"The real way to protect our land, water and climate is to break our addiction, not debate delivery mechanisms for the poison," said Henn.
_______________________
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

The CP train was transporting crude oil near the village of Jansen when it slipped off the tracks, The Canadian Press reports.
This most recent derailment is another reminder of the dangers of transporting oil.
"The spill may again prompt concerns about the environmental risks of shipping crude on railways and raise questions about CP's safety record as the company pushes hard to cut costs and boost efficiency under new executive leadership," Reuters reports.
As Canadian oil development, including the tar sands, speeds up, oil spills from both freight trains and pipelines across Canada and the U.S. have increased.
Meanwhile, the Canadian government and the fossil fuel industry have stepped up pressure on the Obama administration to OK the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline--which would churn 900,000 barrels of dirty tar sands oil into the United States per day.
But much of the U.S. public continues to urge the Obama administration and Canada's Harper administration to leave the oil in the ground.
As environmentalists have noted, the question is not about whether it is safer to transport the oil by rail or by pipeline.
As 350.org spokesperson Jamie Henn has said, "Saying we need to consume tar sands via pipeline because rail lines are dangerous is like saying we need to smoke crack because its better than heroin. Pipelines are also prone to disaster, just look at Exxon's recent spill in the Yellowstone River or the major Enbridge disaster in Kalamazoo."
"The real way to protect our land, water and climate is to break our addiction, not debate delivery mechanisms for the poison," said Henn.
_______________________