 Sustainability |
|
|
Train crashes highlight risks of hazmat carried by rail |
A crash in Houston just weeks after a devastating Ohio derailment is intensifying concerns about compounded threats posed by such wrecks. |
An 18-wheeler struck a Union Pacific freight train in Houston on Monday, killing the truck driver and knocking the train off its tracks. The incident followed another crash earlier this month that spilled toxic chemicals outside the town of East Palestine, Ohio. Officials maintained that the cargo involved in the Houston crash didn't contain any materials formally listed as hazardous, according to Houston Public Media. At the same time, a Union Pacific spokesperson told the NPR affiliate the crash did release 100 gallons of diesel, which is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) due to its high sulfur content. Local authorities said "household chemicals" intended "for retail purposes" were also on board. In the case of the wreck that occurred Feb. 3 in Ohio, the materials on board were potentially deadly. Five of the train cars carried vinyl chloride, a combustible precursor to the plastic PVC that — when burned — converts to the lethal gas phosgene, famously used in World War I gas attacks. But another 15 derailed cars also carried hazardous materials, according to information rail company Norfolk Southern provided to the EPA. The EPA found that chemicals spilled from the wreck "were entering storm drains." Those sewers lead through local waterways to the Ohio River. Water managers in downstream towns like Cincinnati began watching for an incoming chemical plume. The pair of recent crashes — including one on the doorstep of a major chemical and petroleum refining hub — have underscored the risks posed by train derailments. While trains remain among the safest forms of transporting freight, about 1,700 trains derail per year on average — more than four per day. Over the course of 2022, there were 18 derailments involving trains carrying hazardous materials, USA Today reported. The share of trains in the broader category of hazmat crashes also appears to be increasing. USA Today found that while trains have accounted for just 1 in 10 hazmat wrecks over the past decade, they made up 1 in 4 such incidents in 2022. |
Welcome to The Hill's Sustainability newsletter, we're Saul Elbein and Sharon Udasin — every week we follow the latest moves in the growing battle over sustainability in the U.S. and around the world. |
|
|
Latest news impacting sustainability this week and beyond: |
|
|
Residents of the small town of East Palestine, Ohio, are back in their homes this week following their evacuations over looming explosion fears after a train carrying 20 cars of hazardous materials derailed. The contents of the rail cars have since been burned to prevent an explosion, while officials conducted a “controlled release” of toxic chemicals. Noxious odors have also largely dispersed from town, … |
| |
| While California's wealthy have long been considered most at risk from wildfires, new research suggests that lower-income communities experience such events most frequently. Wildfire managers typically use government hazard maps to identify at-risk wildfire zones, but the location of such zones and fire experience may have different effects on communities, according to the study, published in PLOS Climate on Wednesday. … |
| |
| After weathering an unusually wet fall and early winter, Californians may be greeted with colorful wildflower "super blooms" this spring, according to state parks officials. Public land managers are forecasting "good" to "better-than-average" wildflower blooms in the coming months, which they predict could attract hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world. "These rare and unpredictable wildflower blooms … |
| |
|
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed an executive order on Monday to safeguard his state's water supplies from the effects of extreme weather. The order will help expand California’s capacity to capture storm runoff during wet years by accelerating groundwater recharge projects, according to the governor's office. While a string of storms earlier this winter resulted in California's wettest three weeks on record, the … |
| |
|
Senator rallies colleagues amid Colorado River chaos |
Keeping the Colorado River flowing will require concessions from seven sparring states — but Congress may have the financial mobility to help get them there, according to Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.). "We are working in a bipartisan fashion at this point," Hickenlooper told The Hill. "There's a recognition that a lot of people's livelihoods are at stake, and there's a real urgency." Hickenlooper is at the helm of the new Colorado River Caucus — a cohort of senators from both sides of the aisle who intend to help the states agree on consumption cutbacks.
- Members of the group include representatives from all seven Colorado River states: California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Wyoming.
- "I think that we still have an opportunity," Hickenlooper said. "Time is of the essence, but I think the best solution would be a seven-state solution."
Tensions are high: Negotiations among the states have been taking place for months, following calls from the Bureau of Reclamation for additional conservation. - The states agreed to a new target date of Jan. 31 — aware that the Bureau could impose cuts itself if they again failed to do so.
- What ended up materializing were two competing proposals: a joint deal from six out of the seven states and a separate offer from California.
Coming together: "That doesn't mean we should walk away," Hickenlooper said. "That's part of what our Colorado River Caucus in the U.S Senate is all about — trying to find that elusive compromise that everybody can get behind." |
|
|
Federal agency facing lawsuit threat over hippos |
© Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance via AP |
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is facing a lawsuit threat over its failure to protect an animal rarely seen in U.S. rivers and woodlands: the common hippopotamus. A group of conservation nonprofits petitioned the agency last March to extend "endangered species" status to the large aquatic mammals. Radio silence: Though the agency was required to respond within 90 days, nearly a year has passed with nothing, an alliance of conservation groups said on Wednesday. The Center for Biological Diversity wrote in a filing on Wednesday that it would sue the Department of the Interior if it did not respond promptly to last year's request. Renegade river horse: As natives of sub-Saharan Africa, hippos are rarely associated with the Americas, outside of zoos. There are some key exceptions: A botched attempt to introduce them to the U.S. Southeast and a renegade colony descended from cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar's private menagerie. Hippos need help: As hippo populations weather significant decline, they need more protection from the U.S. government, according to a report last year from the Center for Biological Diversity. U.S. federal policy — and the fact that it doesn't give endangered species protections to hippos — nonetheless impacts them, advocates said. Taking responsibility: The U.S. is the top global importer of hippo trophies, parts and products, Adam Peyman, wildlife programs director for Humane Society International, said in a statement. "The United States government can no longer ignore its responsibility and the critical role it can play in curbing legal trade in hippo parts," Peyman added. |
|
|
Branch out with different reads from The Hill: |
|
|
The cleanup process after the derailment and explosion of a train carrying hazardous chemicals in Ohio is sparking frustration among locals and environmentalists, who worry the state and the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) response has been insufficient and confusing. |
A crash involving a commercial truck tractor pulling a box trailer in Arizona has caused a hazmat spill that has shut down part of a highway and required residents nearby to evacuate or shelter in place. |
|
|
Most read stories on The Hill right now: |
|
|
The coolest thing on social media these days may be celebrities and regular folks plunging into frigid water or taking ice baths. The touted benefits include improved mood, more energy, weight loss and reduced inflammation, but the science supporting some of those claims is lukewarm. Read more |
| All ethnicities and cultures experience mental health conditions, but according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, only one in three Black adults who need mental health care actually receive it. Read more |
|
|
Opinions related to sustainability submitted to The Hill: |
|
|
You're all caught up. See you next week! |
1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 |
Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. |
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment