"Three recent coal train derailments are bolstering opposition to the planned expansion of coal exports from Pacific Northwest shipping terminals."
"Last week, coal trains from BNSF Railway Co., owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc., derailed in Texas and eastern Washington state, ground zero for the coal-shipping debate. And also last week in a Chicago suburb, a Union Pacific Corp. coal train derailed and destroyed a bridge, crushing two people driving through an underpass. In all, coal from dozens of rail cars spilled to the ground.
'There have been a lot of concerns about coal trains and the harm they cause, and the derailment is a very visual and immediate example of what's potentially coming our way,' said Brett VandenHeuvel, executive director of Columbia Riverkeeper, an environmental group."
Manuel Quinones reports for Greenwire July 11, 2012.
