Sept. 29 talk will address transport along Hudson
On Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m., Paul Gallay, president of Riverkeeper, will provide an introduction to the “virtual pipeline” bringing crude oil along the Hudson River, and its potential risks. The presentation, “Oil-on-Hudson: The Explosive Risks of Oil Transport in the Hudson Valley,” which includes a short film, will take place at Antipodean Books, Maps & Prints, 29 Garrisons Landing, in Garrison. It is co-sponsored by Antipodean and Philipstown Democrats.
According to Gallay, residents of Philipstown can watch trains carrying crude oil traveling along the west side of the Hudson twice a day, on average, while barge/tanker traffic carrying crude oil occurs about once per day. The risks the trains present include not only include derailments but explosions, spills and long-term environmental degradation, he says.
Why do trains derail? It would be very interesting if we could be told the reason a train derailed. Going too fast?
Too long? Too heavy? Operator fatigue? Poor maintenance? Answers would reveal the far-from-best practices used by a profit-hungry rail industry.
Insist that the Federal Railroad Administration, whose first duty is to protect citizens, not shareholders, enforce railroad health and safety regulations. Please sign the petition at moveon.org.