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Proposal Carries New Safeguards For Trains With Hazardous Cargo

Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio is sponsoring a bill designed to protect communities from the dangers of trains carrying hazardous materials. Jim Letizia reports.  

The measure requires development of new safety standards for rail cars that move crude oil or ethanol. It would phase out old tank cars, pay companies to upgrade their fleets and help communities prepare for spill- and fire-causing derailments. One of the accidents prompting the bill happened in 2012, when 17 cars carrying 90 thousand gallons of ethanol derailed and exploded in the Weinland Park area. Two people were injured and more than 100 people were evacuated from their homes. The National Transportation Safety Board said a broken rail was the cause. State officials have told the Associated Press more than a dozen trains carrying over 1 million gallons of crude oil cross Ohio every week.

Jim has been with WCBE since 1996. Before that he worked as a reporter at another Columbus radio station, and for three newspapers in Southwest Florida.
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