Waterkeepers are already too familiar with the threat of transporting oil by rail, often through communities and along rivers that sustain human, animal and plant life.
VICE News traveled to the Pacific Northwest to investigate the rapid expansion of oil by rail transport, better known by the accurately named “bomb trains.” According to VICE, it’s estimated that 9 million barrels of crude oil are moving over the rail lines of North America at any given moment.
In this must-see feature, VICE investigates the controversy and dangers surrounding oil-by-rail transport. Don’t miss Columbia Riverkeeper‘s segment (at the 12:48 mark) featuring Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky. “We’re 50 yards from the best juvenile salmon habitat on the lower Columbia River,” she explains. “But if they keep bringing in the trains, it’s just a matter of time before this whole area sees an oil spill.”
>> Watch the full VICE video below, “Bomb Trains: The Crude Gamble of Oil by Rail