UNIONTOWN, PA FREIGHT TRAIN DERAILMENT BLAMED ON DEFECTIVE OR MISSING RAILROAD CROSSTIES AND FASTENERS

APRIL 18, 2015

Uniontown police reported seven Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad cars carrying sand derailed at East Penn and Locust streets in Uniontown at 7:36 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. Lt. Tom Kolencik said the only occupants, an engineer and a conductor, were not injured.

A preliminary report by a local rail company points to defective or missing railroad crossties and fasteners as the reason why a train jumped the tracks in January just steps from some Uniontown homes, snarling traffic and knocking out power for hours. 

Four locomotives pulling 38 freight cars hauling fracking sand for Marcellus shale drilling were traveling about 10 mph when the 16th car derailed at 7:30 a.m. Jan. 22 at Locust and East Penn streets, according to the report. 

Seven cars left the tracks, but no one was hurt, including an engineer and a conductor who were the only occupants, according to Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad, a division of Carload Express of Oakmont, Allegheny County. The report states the rail company is responsible for maintaining the tracks. 

The derailment caused $200,000 in damage: $125,000 to the track and $75,000 to unspecified equipment, the report indicates. 

The Federal Railroad Administration, an arm of the Department of Transportation, investigated the accident. It has not yet released a report listing an official cause. 

But Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad, in its initial report, identified missing or defective crossties as the primary cause, with missing or defective spikes and other rail fasteners as a contributing cause. 

Although the report was available on the FRA website, the chief executive officer of the railroad's parent company said he was not aware it indicated crossties were missing. These people are always clueless as to what is happening with the railroads, refusing to regulate them to increase their safety.  They are pretty much bought by the railroad lobby.

Instead, Russell Peterson, chief executive officer of Carload Express, said Friday that he had no knowledge of any missing crossties. He said the derailment's cause has been narrowed to a timber defect at the wooden grade crossing. 

“I can't imagine railroad ties were missing,” said Peterson. “The issue was in the grade crossing, but we're not exactly sure what happened.” 

Peterson said the grade crossing was inspected a week earlier, with no defects noted. At the time of the derailment, he said, the timber at the crossing was found to be “rough,” and the area was soaked with groundwater. 

“It was a peculiar situation,” Peterson said. “But it's all new track now, and hopefully, we'll never experience anything like that again.” 

East Penn Street was closed for several days for the cleanup. At least 250 feet of damaged track had to be removed and replaced, according to the contractor who did the work, GW Peoples Contracting. Power was cut to some homes and businesses temporarily. 

Carload Express had released a statement saying the freight train was traveling south from Scottdale to Smithfield when the cars left the tracks. 

Its load of fracking sand was to be delivered to Hi-Crush Partners at its Smithfield facility, manager Curt Johnson said at the time. 

Houston-based Hi-Crush supplies fracking sand to natural gas drillers, according to its website. Its specialty is Northern White sand, which is found mainly in Wisconsin and the upper Midwest.

Source: http://triblive.com

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TRAIN CARS HAULING CARCINOGENIC FRAC SAND DERAIL IN UNIONTOWN, PA

JANUARY 22, 2015

UNIONTOWN, PA. (AP)

Several freight cars hauling sand derailed Thursday morning in a southwestern Pennsylvania town, some toppling over just feet away from homes and closing nearby roads.

"We heard the train coming through like always, then we heard a big boom," said Georgia Eans, who said a car tipped over less than 10 feet from her home. "We all jumped and ran and there it was, laying in our yard."

Uniontown police Lt. Tom Kolencik said there were minor injuries reported in the derailment, which occurred at about 7:40 a.m., but no details would be released until later in the day. Only an engineer and conductor were aboard the train, police said.

Seven sand-filled cars could be seen toppled over at the scene, though several more may have left the tracks but remained upright, according to emergency officials.

Officials with Carload Express Inc., of Oakmont, confirmed some cars on one of their Southwestern Pennsylvania Railroad trains derailed. A company official who answered the phone but refused to give his name told The Associated Press the train had 40 cars.

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the derailment. The railroad had crews and investigators at the scene.

Fire Chief Dane Griffith said trains carrying hazardous materials use the same tracks and that residents were "very fortunate" this train was hauling sand.

The cleanup was expected to take hours. Vacuum trucks were waiting to empty each of the cars that tipped over before they can be pulled upright onto the tracks and moved away. Several utility poles that were sheared off along the tracks must also be repaired before train traffic returns to normal.

"We got lucky, that it just fell, and didn't slide," Eans said, referring to the two cars that came to rest closest to her home. "Somebody was watching over us."

SHELL’S POLAR PIONEER OIL RIG ARRIVES IN PUGET SOUND, WASHINGTON ON TOP OF BLUE MARLIN CARRIER

APRIL 17, 2015

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

A 400 foot tall oil rig has arrived in Port Angeles. Shell Oil plans to use the Polar Pioneer to drill this summer, off Alaska’s North Slope. Environmentalists oppose the exploration - many were in Port Angeles Friday for what they called an "unwelcoming". 

Greenpeace’s “Mosquito Fleet” in Port Angeles harbor in Puget Sound greeted the arctic-class semisubmersible drilling rig Polar Pioneer as it arrived aboard the heavy lift ship Blue Marlin on Friday 17 April 2015.

Among them, Michael Bittner. He said the arrival of the Polar Pioneer felt like an invasion.

"To have something come into our region that has already been said to pose a catastrophic risk to the Arctic and global climate is really devastating to see here," Bittner said.

Coast Guard helicopters have been circling the Port Angeles Harbor as crews prepare to anchor the oil rig.

George Williams is a navy retiree. He drove to the waterfront to check out what was happening. He said the oil rig could bring jobs, at least temporarily.

"They'll want anything that might help the economy because there's not much here," Williams said.

The Polar Pioneer will stay in Port Angeles Harbor for at least two weeks for outfitting before it’s towed to Seattle. The port will be used as a hub for repairs and preparation.

Locals are protesting Shell’s arctic drilling ambitions which are set to restart this summer after the Polar Pioneer is subsequently transported to Alaska.

Before it heads north however, the Polar Pioneer will be brought to Seattle where “direct action” is planned for 18 May by organizers from ShellNo.org.

“We will unite in creative action, including a mass water-based blockade, and an event focused on working to honor our connections with this beautiful and complex planet. These events will build to a day of Mass Direct Action on Monday, May 18, when we will use nonviolent action to SHUT DOWN SHELL and all operations related to their Arctic expedition,” the organization said.

In late March, the Obama administration approved Arctic drilling permits for 2015 and beyond.

Opponents are concerned the development of new oil reserves would escalate climate change and that the spills (that are almost a certainty) will be very difficult to cleanup.

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A Shell Oil drilling rig at the center of environmental protests about oil exploration in the Arctic arrived off Port Angeles at dawn Friday on a trip that will eventually land it on the Seattle waterfront.

The Polar Pioneer came over the horizon in the Strait of Juan de Fuca aboard the carrier Blue Marlin.

Activists opposed to drilling gathered with their kayaks on Ediz Hook, a long finger of land curling around the Port Angeles harbor. They planned to "unwelcome" the rig when it came to anchor.

But also present on the hook were residents who support having the rig in town. Many feel the area needs the welding and other jobs that the project will bring.

The Polar Pioneer and another Shell rig, the Noble Discover, are coming from Asia to a maintenance site being set up at Terminal 5 in West Seattle.

Activists have protested the use of the Port of Seattle site for maintaining Shell Oil's Arctic drilling fleet. They say that drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic is inherently dangerous and that Seattle shouldn't support that project. They also worry about contamination of Puget Sound by maintenance activities.

Greenpeace activists boarded the Polar Pioneer in mid-Pacific and remained for days until bad weather forced them back to their own ship.

Source: http://kuow.org

AN IMAGINARY EXPLOSIVE DEVICE CAUSES OUR GREAT ARMY PERSONNEL AT PICATINNY ARSENAL TO BE SCARED SHITLESS AND RUIN THE AFTERNOON OF THOUSANDS OF WORKERS.

APRIL 17, 2015

ROCKAWAY TWP. 

Route 15 was reopened and the “all clear” was given at Picatinny Arsenal after a truck was determined not to be an “explosive threat.”

The incident investigation shut down the highway for about four hours, causing massive traffic tieups.

SWAT and marine infantry teams arrived, armed with anti-tank missiles, hand grenades and sniper rifles, just in case this was a terrorist act.  Some SWAT team members had to expense their laundry bills after brown stuff appeared on their pants when they got really scared because they thought that this was the terrorist attack they trained all their lives for.

The mandra "being safe than sorry" has created an absolutely ridiculous situation at the famed Picatinny Arsenal.

The vehicle was thought to be suspicious by security personal Friday morning after the driver tried to gain access to the U.S. Army installation through the post's truck gate at about 11:30 a.m. Security personnel treated the situation as if it was an explosive threat, Picatinny Arsenal said in a press release, no matter how insane or ridiculous the response is.  Shock and awe, anyone?

One person was detained and questioned by law enforcement officials, according to the arsenal.  The FBI, the CIA the NSA personnel from around the world all convened at the site and interrogated the poor man, including what he ate for lunch two years ago and whether the fart of his baby turtle is responsible for the unknown chemical attack on the lawn of marine corporal John Smith the other day.

After an investigation by thousands of local, state, and federal employees, no explosive threat was found in the vehicle.  It was just a box containing a cake for the surprise birthday of a soldiers’ secret love affair.

“While the truck gate will remain closed, normal operations will commence through the front entrance,” Picatinny Arsenal posted on its Facebook page at about 5:20 p.m.

Gate operations will continue through the Mount Hope gate for a limited time, the announcement said.

The suspicious vehicle caused evacuation of the arsenal and closed Route 15 in both directions from Route 80 to Berkshire Valley Road. Celeste Danzi, spokeswoman for the FBI's Newark office, said the agency responded to the incident with the Picatinny police.

All entrance to the post was halted. Arsenal employees were instructed to leave the post at 1:44 p.m.

Berkshire Valley Road was closed from Taylor Road to Route 15 and Route 15 was closed from Route 80 to Berkshire Valley while the incident was investigated.

Businesses located on Route 15 between Berkshire Valley Road and Route 80, and residences located on West Union Turnpike were also evacuated, according to Sparta police.

Rockaway Township School District was advised by officials at Picatinny Arsenal to hold students in school who would be normally transported to or past the arsenal, a representative said.

Rockaway and Jefferson schools were not locked down.

According to NBC 4 New York, the gate was locked down and employees were instructed to leave their posts shortly before 2 p.m. as robots and explosive detection devices assessed the vehicle.  All the senators and congressmen, including the president had to go to the secret bankers to minimize a potential attack by hypothetical and imaginary terrorists.  Meanwhile, another 100 of our fellow citizens got killed and 2,000 injured on the deadly US roads because this amazing congress is refusing to fund safety improvements.

Cindi Howson, of Sparta, was traveling on Route 15 south on her way to catch a flight at Newark Airport at about 1:40 p.m. when she was waved off the highway onto Berkshire Valley Road by police officers. She ended up driving through Wharton, which she described as “gridlocked.”

“Route 80 is totally backed up,” she said Friday afternoon, at about 2:45 p.m., still in the Wharton area. “Around the mall, it's a mess!” She thought at first the detour was due to road construction, and expressed hope that no one was hurt at Picatinny when told of the emergency.

Howson's flight to visit her daughter at the University of Miami was scheduled to leave around 4 p.m. She wasn't sure she'd make it, but said she would just book another flight.

“I'll get to see her no matter what,” she said.

Picatinny Arsenal is a research and manufacturing U.S. Army and Navy facility in Rockaway Township. About 6,000 civilians work at the arsenal, which provides and researches ammunition, weapons and other materials to all branches to the U.S. military. An estimated 700 Sussex County residents work at the arsenal.

ALASKA SENATE PASSES 0.95 CENTS GAS TAX INCREASE TO FUND SPILL CLEANUP. SENATORS CUT THE PROPOSED TAX BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED THAT A PENNY A GALLON TAX WAS TOO MUCH!

APRIL 17, 2015

The Alaska Senate has approved a new tax on refined fuel to pay for a spill prevention and response program run by the Alaska Division of Environmental Conservation.

The Senate voted 13-7 on Friday to increase the pump price of gasoline, marine fuel and heating oil by 0.95 cents per gallon.

House Bill 158, proposed by Rep. Cathy Muñoz, R-Juneau, suggested a cent-per-gallon increase. It passed the House by a single vote, 21-19, on April 8.

As the bill moved its way through committees in the Senate, senators cut the proposed tax increase by five hundredths of a cent, to provide what DEC has truly asked for, said Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna.

“We thought a penny a gallon was too much,” he said while testifying in favor of the bill.

DEC commissioner Larry Hartig previously said the state’s spill response program would be facing a “$3 million to $7 million hole” in the next fiscal year without help.

The proposed tax increase will not affect the cost of aviation fuel or fuel for the Alaska Marine Highway. Micciche said the FAA controls taxes on fuel sold at FAA-regulated airports, and “frankly, it was more trouble than it was worth” to deal with the FAA.

Furthermore, the tax is only applied once — on sales from a gas station to a driver or boater. It doesn’t apply to sales from a refiner to the gas station.

The DEC program typically deals with cleanup in cases when a responsible party can’t be found to take charge of cleanup. Sometimes, Micciche said, a homeowner has died or a business has gone out of business, leaving a spill behind.

Opposition to the bill came largely on the taxation grounds. “It looks like another tax and spend operation,” said Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka.

Sen. Click Bishop, R-Fairbanks, responded that the tax isn’t necessarily permanent. On the Senate floor, he promoted the idea of spill prevention through education and said that if education results in fewer spills, there will be less need for a cleanup fund.

“Maybe some day in the not-too-distant future, we could come back and remove this,” he said.

HB 158 now returns to the House, whose members must decide whether to approve the Senate’s slightly lower tax. 

If the bill becomes law, it would be the first tax increase on the public since 2005.

A penny a gallon is too much?

 

Unbelievable. Apparently the idea of raising the gas tax to pay for our states' roads and ferries will remain inconceivable to this body.

Source: http://juneauempire.com