Train tracks snake in around and through this town that I live in. Very close to homes and Georgia College dorms. So I note the train wreck in Graniteville, SC, a ghost town now - 8 dead, 58 hospitalized, hundreds more treated, and thousands driven from their homes. From the New York Times:
Ten months ago, government safety officials warned that more than half of the nation's 60,000 pressurized rail tank cars did not meet industry standards, and they raised questions about the safety of the rest of the fleet as well. Their worry, that the steel tanks could rupture too easily in an accident, proved prophetic. On Thursday, a derailment in South Carolina caused a catastrophic release of chlorine.
The problem's not going away anytime soon. Because pressurized tank cars remain in service for up to 50 years, some could be hauling hazardous chemicals through Milledgeville in 2039. What's needed is strong government safety regulations, similar to those imposed on the airline industry. My Republican neighbors would disagree.
