HAZMAT

CONGRESS MEMBER BRIAN HIGGINS SENDS LETTER TO HOWARD ELLIOT OF THE U.S. DOT PIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, requesting a 30-day extension of the comment period to the DOT's Draft Final Permit DOT-SP 20534. This special permit proposes to authorize the transportation of liquified natural gas (LNG) by rail tank car.

WHILE THE FLORIDA EAST RAILWAY (FEC) EXECUTIVES PUSHED FLORIDA'S EAST COAST CITIES AND COUNTIES TO APPROVE OF BRIGHTLINE'S HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER TRAIN, they also quietly obtained permission to haul extremely flammable liquified natural gas along those same tracks.

Liquified natural gas (LNG) is a natural gas which is kept chilled and stable. When warmed, it can make natural gas to generate electricity. However, if a spill or puncture of a container during a train derailment would be deadly. When exposed to the air, LNG can "burst into flames."

FOUR TRAIN CARS CARRYING MOLTEN SULFUR DERAILED EARLY MONDAY NEAR LAKELAND, FLORIDA. Local residents have been warned to stay indoors and close their windows as several cars are believed to have leaked. CSX says no injuries have been reported, and the cause of the derailment is under investigation.

CSX Spokesman Rob Doolittle describes molten sulfur as "a hazardous material used in making rubber, detergent and fertilizers."

Original Article written by Ray Villeda of NBC New York.

On Tuesday afternoon, a CSX freight train carrying sulfuric acid and oil derailed after hitting a work vehicle that had gotten stuck on the tracks in Newburgh, New York.

CSX railroad spokeswoman and hazmat officials updated the situation on the 32 car, two-train derailment in Marion County yesterday.

Over 15,000 gallons of fuel were spilled as two trains collided head-on in the early morning of November 16.

Sharon Kelly and Steve Horn - Desmog

For the first time ever, liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been shipped by railroad in the U.S., prompting concerns about risks of accidents and a lack of state or federal regulation for the new and hazardous cargo.

RALPH VARTABEDIAN - LA TIMES

The only sign of trouble aboard a Norfolk Southern train, hauling roughly 9,000 tons of Canadian crude in western Pennsylvania last year, was a moderate sway in the locomotive as it entered a bend on the Kiskiminetas River.

The first 66 cars had passed safely around the curve when the emergency brakes suddenly engaged, slamming the train to a stop. The conductor trudged back nearly a mile through newly fallen snow to see what happened.

Liquid natural gas is poised to be either a best friend to Martin County residents, or its worst enemy. 

The Fortress Investment Group-related liquified natural gas plant in Medley is nearing completion without any apparent federal regulatory oversight. The LNG will be used to fuel FEC trains. The U.S. Department of Energy also authorized sale of the LNG it produces to both Federal Trade Agreement and non-FTA countries.