The Lac-Megantic Rail Disaster: Regulatory Failure and Corporate Negligence

Citizens Acting for Rail Safety - Twin Cities:  Rail Safety Forum,  February 10th, 2019) The Lac-Megantic Rail Disaster:  Regulatory Failure and Corporate Negligence Continue to Threaten Canadian and U.S. Communities Minnesota, including the Twin Cities metro, remains at the epicenter of a crude-by-rail web connecting North Dakota's booming Bakken oil fields and the Alberta tar sands with refineries and ever-expanding export facilities across the United States.  Minnesota has approximately 4,500 miles of railroad track - over 700 hundred miles of which are used to transport hazardous materials. The system stretches across the state and concentrates within population centers such as Minneapolis and St. Paul.  A train carrying Bakken oil that exploded in Lac-Mégantic and spilled an unprecedented volume of oil, destroying the city center and killing 47 people, traveled through Minneapolis before it reached its fateful end.   Using the Lac-Mégantic disaster as a case study, Bruce Campbell’s new book uncovers what went wrong in that rail catastrophe, who was responsible -- and why it can happen again. Lessons learned from the Lac-Mégantic disaster have NOT resulted in the rail safety policy changes needed in both Canada and the United States to protect residents and the environment. Effective rail safety legislation has stalled at the federal level and has lapsed at the state level. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (NAFTA 2.0) along with increased oil-by-rail shipments add additional risks not present at the time of the Lac-Mégantic disaster. Canadian petition link: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Pe...