From: ahk@chinet.com   
      
   conklin  wrote:   
      
   >The New York Times has a front page article on hazardous material transport   
   >by railroads.   
      
   I got past the pay wall with two extra steps.   
      
   http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/16/business/despite-spills-hazard   
   -ride-the-rails-in-secret.html   
      
   >It seems that when local officials tried to look into a   
   >derailment in Westford, MA, they were threatened with arrest.   
      
   So what? The town manager and fire chief would have told the police that   
   they were there to investigate the incident and determine what local   
   emergency response was necessary, and wouldn't have been arrested. Any   
   company official can make a police report for trespass, but that doesn't mean   
   someone would have been arrested. If you don't want to be intimidated, don't   
   let yourself be intimidated.   
      
   It's not like these two people wouldn't have been known to their own   
   police department.   
      
   >Federal laws shield railroads from almost any supervision.  Yet, if   
   >an accident takes place, railroads must rely on local hazardous waste   
   >personnel.  It seems that they supply some local officals secret lists   
   >of hazardous materials.  How that works seems unclear, but the public   
   >does not know.  Also, routes are kept secret too.  And those tin can   
   >rail cars will be in use basically forever.  Arresting local mayors who   
   >look in on accidents seems to be legal.  They could also arrest local   
   >hazrdous material teams too.   
      
   Now you're just making shit up. Thanks, George, for making an effort to   
   start a decent discussion.   
      
   I would like to know exactly what you think local officials should have done   
   once it became apparent that the train could be re-railed and there was   
   no leak or spill.   
      
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