From: leroysoetoro@usurper.org   
      
   XPost: ca.environment, sac.politics, alt.politics.usa.republican   
   XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, can.politics   
      
   http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-us-unveil-tougher-   
   rail-safety-standards-for-transporting-oil/article24208597/   
      
   U.S. regulators will require trains carrying large quantities of crude oil   
   to slow down or install expensive braking systems, a controversial step   
   aimed at reducing the frequency of fiery oil train derailments in North   
   America.   
      
   The new rule was announced during a joint Canada-U.S. press conference in   
   Washington on Friday, part of a series of regulations introduced nearly   
   two years after an oil train derailed and exploded in Lac-Mégantic, Que.   
      
   Transport officials from both countries also put in place long-awaited   
   requirements for a transition to tougher, more crash-resistant tank cars   
   within the next 10 years.   
      
   In a point of divergence between the two governments, Ottawa did not   
   include new braking rules in the package of regulations it introduced on   
   Friday.   
      
   Instead, Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said she had asked Canadian   
   officials to “find a Canadian solution” that will harmonize with the new   
   U.S. requirement.   
      
   The U.S. rules indicate that after 2023, trains carrying large quantities   
   of crude and other flammable goods can only exceed 30 miles per hour (48   
   kilometres per hour) if they have the electronically controlled pneumatic   
   brakes installed. Asked for clarification on whether ECP brakes would   
   eventually be required in Canada as well as the United States, a spokesman   
   for Ms. Raitt said the government would update its rail operating rules to   
   “meet or exceed” the new U.S. rules.   
      
   A spokesman for Canadian National, Canada’s largest railway, said the   
   company has “serious concerns” about inter-operability and whether the   
   technology will be reliable during Canada’s harsh winter weather.   
      
   Safety experts have advocated for tougher braking rules, saying there is a   
   risk that current braking systems will allow cars at the end of a long   
   unit train to pile on top of each other if an accident occurs. Railways   
   and rail car manufacturers say they oppose ECP brakes because they are   
   costly and have not been thoroughly tested. Industry experts put the cost   
   of installing ECP brakes on a rail car at about $8,000 or more.   
      
   The Association of American Railroads supported the tougher rail car   
   standards but called the new U.S. braking rule “misguided” and said it   
   would threaten North American rail capacity and service. “This is an   
   imprudent decision made without supporting data or analysis,” association   
   president Edward Hamberger said in a statement. “I have a hard time   
   believing the determination to impose ECP brakes is anything but a rash   
   rush to judgment.”   
      
   The tank car regulations announced on Friday set a 10-year schedule for   
   railways operating in both countries to phase in the use of retrofitted or   
   new tank cars for flammable liquids that have thicker steel, thermal   
   protection and full shields at each end.   
      
   Safety experts have criticized the 10-year time frame, saying it will   
   leave weaker cars on the rails for too long. Several explosive derailments   
   in Canada and the U.S. in recent months involved tank cars that could   
   remain in use for crude oil and other dangerous goods for another five   
   years, according to the standards announced on Friday.   
      
   Tank car suppliers say it would be unreasonable to make a transition to   
   the newest tank car model in less than 10 years.   
      
   U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx tied the new regulations on   
   Friday to the “staggering” growth in the amount of crude oil that is being   
   transported by rail throughout North America. That growth can largely be   
   attributed to increased production from shale deposits in Texas and North   
   Dakota, he said.   
      
   Crude from North American shale deposits is widely believed to be more   
   flammable than traditional oil and has been involved in numerous explosive   
   derailments in Canada and the U.S., including a devastating accident in   
   Lac-Mégantic nearly two years ago. The July, 2013, accident occurred when   
   a crude oil train slammed into the centre of the small Quebec town,   
   killing 47 people.   
      
      
      
   --   
   Barack Obama, reelected by the dumbest voters in the history of the United   
   States of America.   
      
   Eric Holder, racist black murdering United States Attorney General, still   
   has his job.   
      
   Nancy Pelosi, Democrat criminal, accessory before and after the fact to   
   improper vetting of Barry Soetoro aka Barack Hussein Obama, a confirmed   
   felon using SSAN 042-68-4425, belonging to a dead man.   
      
   Obama ignored the brutal killing of an American diplomat in Benghazi, then   
   relieved American military officers who attempted to prevent said murder   
   in order to cover up his own ineptitude.   
      
   Obama continues his goal of disarming America while ObamaCare increases   
   insurance premiums 300% and leaves millions without health care.   
      
   Obama backed the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt prior to their removal for   
   failing to represent the people and constitutional violations.   
      
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