inFORUM, 7/9:
As another oil train derails, regulators and lawmakers say progress is being made
GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Three years ago Wednesday, an unattended train carrying crude oil from North Dakota rolled down a hill toward the town of Lac-Megantic, Quebec.
The 74-car freight train derailed near the center of town, and the ensuing explosion and fire killed 47 people and destroyed much of the downtown core, a government report later said.
That disaster, along with other, less deadly derailments and explosions, put a spotlight on the practice of transporting crude oil by rail and helped prompt lawmakers and regulators to put in place new tank car specifications and hire rail inspectors. And while some said new rules will make transporting hazardous materials safer, those trains continue to leave the tracks.
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