New rules needed for rail safety

Just how much longer should we have to wait? Will it take a catastrophe to get new rules in place to prevent derailments of toxic shipments on the railroad tracks in our backyards? There were two derailments of trains in Wisconsin over the weekend, including a derailment just up river in Alma on Saturday which resulted in 32 cars leaving the tracks. A number of those rail cars were carrying ethanol, which spilled into the Mississippi River. It is estimated more than 18,000 gallons spilled before it could be contained. Another derailment on Sunday on the other side of the state led to the spilling of crude oil. It was the third derailment on the Upper Mississippi Wildlife Refuge in nine months. Fortunately, no one was killed or injured, but people nearby did have to evacuate their homes. And the spill came as waterfowl migrate along the Mississippi Flyway. We don’t yet know the extent of the damage. We may have dodged a bullet this time, but next time we may not be so lucky. The La Crosse based group CARS continues to call on the federal government to improve rail safety, or to remove hazardous cargo from our tracks. We shouldn’t have to wait until people, or our environment, suffer a catastrophe before we finally realize it is time to act.