SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A BNSF Railway oil train in Trempealeau, Wisconsin. (Photo: Roy Luck/flickr/cc)
Public Tax Dollars Financing Oil-By-Rail Expansion
Reuters exposes '10 federal and state grants either approved or pending approval, totaling $84.2 million, that helped boost the number of rail cars carrying crude oil across the nation'
Dec 15, 2014
A series of fiery, and at times deadly, oil train derailments and explosions--from Virginia to North Dakota to Quebec--has sparked concerns about the ever-increasing use of rail to transport crude through North America.
Reporting by Reuters released Monday reveals that, despite this alarm, "tens of millions" of public U.S. tax dollars are directly financing the expansion of oil-by-rail transport in a number of places across the country.
According to journalist Jarrett Renshaw, Reuters "identified 10 federal and state grants either approved or pending approval, totaling $84.2 million, that helped boost the number of rail cars carrying crude oil across the nation."
"The public assistance in states like New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oklahoma and Oregon comes as railroads are posting record profits, and as state and federal authorities press for safety overhauls that the oil and rail industries have opposed, following several explosive derailments," the article continues.
This assistance comprises just a "fraction of total public funding for railroads each year, and look[s] small compared to the $24 billion railroads themselves are spending annually on infrastructure," Renshaw clarifies.
Rail transportation of oil is playing a role in driving the fracked shale oil boom across North America.
According to an analysis by ForestEthics, approximately 25 million people in the U.S. live in the one-mile potential blast zone in the event of an oil train derailement.
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
A series of fiery, and at times deadly, oil train derailments and explosions--from Virginia to North Dakota to Quebec--has sparked concerns about the ever-increasing use of rail to transport crude through North America.
Reporting by Reuters released Monday reveals that, despite this alarm, "tens of millions" of public U.S. tax dollars are directly financing the expansion of oil-by-rail transport in a number of places across the country.
According to journalist Jarrett Renshaw, Reuters "identified 10 federal and state grants either approved or pending approval, totaling $84.2 million, that helped boost the number of rail cars carrying crude oil across the nation."
"The public assistance in states like New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oklahoma and Oregon comes as railroads are posting record profits, and as state and federal authorities press for safety overhauls that the oil and rail industries have opposed, following several explosive derailments," the article continues.
This assistance comprises just a "fraction of total public funding for railroads each year, and look[s] small compared to the $24 billion railroads themselves are spending annually on infrastructure," Renshaw clarifies.
Rail transportation of oil is playing a role in driving the fracked shale oil boom across North America.
According to an analysis by ForestEthics, approximately 25 million people in the U.S. live in the one-mile potential blast zone in the event of an oil train derailement.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
A series of fiery, and at times deadly, oil train derailments and explosions--from Virginia to North Dakota to Quebec--has sparked concerns about the ever-increasing use of rail to transport crude through North America.
Reporting by Reuters released Monday reveals that, despite this alarm, "tens of millions" of public U.S. tax dollars are directly financing the expansion of oil-by-rail transport in a number of places across the country.
According to journalist Jarrett Renshaw, Reuters "identified 10 federal and state grants either approved or pending approval, totaling $84.2 million, that helped boost the number of rail cars carrying crude oil across the nation."
"The public assistance in states like New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oklahoma and Oregon comes as railroads are posting record profits, and as state and federal authorities press for safety overhauls that the oil and rail industries have opposed, following several explosive derailments," the article continues.
This assistance comprises just a "fraction of total public funding for railroads each year, and look[s] small compared to the $24 billion railroads themselves are spending annually on infrastructure," Renshaw clarifies.
Rail transportation of oil is playing a role in driving the fracked shale oil boom across North America.
According to an analysis by ForestEthics, approximately 25 million people in the U.S. live in the one-mile potential blast zone in the event of an oil train derailement.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.