Barely 1 Month After Biden Nixed Super Safe Keystone XL, Train Carrying Oil Explodes in TX
A train carrying petroleum collided with a 18-wheeler truck Tuesday morning, serving a lesson about the significance of oil pipelines.
The crash in Cameron, Texas, resulted in a massive explosion and fire, but thankfully nobody was injured.
⚠️‼️EXPLOSION AND FIRE reported this morning in Milam County, TX. FM 2095 southeast of Cameron. Avoid area!
18-wheeler vs. train. No details on injuries or deaths. We have crew on the way.
(?: @LynnPHagan) pic.twitter.com/hTqih0XaUD
— Rusty Surette (@KBTXRusty) February 23, 2021
Five of the roughly 13 derailed train cars were carrying gasoline, which was the reason for the fire.
Cameron, TX 7:07 AM @kwtx pic.twitter.com/rmxLFt3rSL
— Ryan Kyburz (@ryan_kyburz) February 23, 2021
The collision was originally considered a potential hazmat situation, but the cars with hazardous materials were not impacted.
“There was some hazardous materials a little farther back, so by the grace of God we were saved on that one,” Milam County Sheriff Chris White said, according to KXAN-TV.
“There were no injuries to the crew or truck driver. Local first responders and BNSF personnel are onsite to respond to the incident,” BNSF Railways Senior Director of External Communications Courtney Wallace told Fox News.
“Out of an abundance of caution, local authorities have established a half-mile radius evacuation zone near the site. The cause is under investigation.”
Trains are a common method of transportation for oil and gas but have frequently been criticized as posing a serious risk, and this incident unfortunately solidifies those concerns.
Pipelines are considered to be a safer alternative to the rails — making the Biden administration’s recent decision to revoke the Keystone XL pipeline’s permit seem even more ludicrous.
Construction on the long disputed Keystone XL oil pipeline has been halted as President Joe Biden revoked its permit. Biden, on his first day in office, said the pipeline isn’t consistent with the new administration’s “economic and climate imperatives.” https://t.co/wgbOxCkIVZ
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 21, 2021
The step by the administration was to show loyalty to climate activists who want to see a transition toward renewable energy.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that ‘failures in coal and natural gas,’ and not renewables, added to the energy shortage in Texas, leaving millions of people without power for a third day amid a severe winter storm https://t.co/hkcSbeinlc #TexasBlackout pic.twitter.com/y9Tv0xNr6b
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 18, 2021
If Tuesday’s incident is any indication, it is a sign that United States needs more pipelines, not fewer.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with wind, solar and nuclear energy, there also needs to be a commitment to making the transportation of oil and gas safer.
Nonrenewable energy sources are not going away overnight, so innovations in the private sector and action from the public sector need to continue while fossil fuels are still a prominent energy source.
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