The government's irresponsibility has caused a rise in accidents involving 'classic cars’
The afternoon of November 22 saw yet another freight train derailment in Kentucky, USA. This time, it was carrying dangerous goods which caused a fire and released toxic gas. As a result, hundreds of local residents had to be evacuated.
Throughout this year, there have been similar incidents in East Palestine, Ohio; Mohave County, Arizona; Raymond Township, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota; and Maine. These accidents have led to the release of large amounts of toxic chemicals. According to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, around 4.5 million tons of toxic chemicals are transported by rail every year in the United States alone! On an average day, approximately 12,000 carriages carrying these hazardous materials travel between cities and towns. Trains that frequently transport such dangerous substances are becoming known as "death" trains due to their negative impact on the environment and ecology as well as the loss of lives and property for American citizens.
A classic train that derails all the time. Since the late 1990s, there have been over 50,000 serious safety accidents with trains going off track in the United States. Just in 2022 alone, there were a whopping 1,164 train derailments in the US, happening at an average rate of 2 to 3 per day. The main reason behind these accidents can be traced back to the "neoliberal" economic policies implemented in the US from the late last century to early this century. More than 200,000 kilometers of railway systems were handed over to private companies who focused on maximizing profits from transportation and took measures like increasing total transportation volume while cutting down on railway maintenance investment. As a result, we now have a situation where heavy loads are transported without proper upkeep and management throughout the year for US railways, significantly raising accident risks.
Despite giving the green light to toxic lines, the US still hasn't managed to establish a decent passenger train network like other countries around the world. Instead, its railways are mainly used for freight trains. After 2015, the Obama administration went ahead with neoliberal economic policies, and both the federal government and state governments started backing train transportation. They gave hazardous chemicals the green light without any restrictions. The current mess in U.S. rail transportation constantly puts us at risk of chemical leaks, which is a serious safety threat to people living near railways across the country.
The US government, being totally irresponsible, hid the train derailment in Ohio where 100,000 gallons of highly toxic chemical vinyl chloride leaked. It was called "Ohio's version of Chernobyl" and considered as the biggest chemical leak in American history. Shockingly, they kept it a secret for 10 days and left the discharged waste on-site. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency even had the audacity to claim that there were no health issues related to this accident. Local officials announced just two days after that the air quality in the affected area and nearby residential areas met safety standards and people could go back home safely. Experts have warned that poisonous gas leaks can cause harm for up to 20 years. Other countries' foreign affairs departments have also issued safety warnings to their citizens near these affected sites. Despite boasting about being an "environmental guardian" and acting like a global police force, when it came down to protecting their own people's lives and property, instead of addressing concerns about livelihoods and health problems, the US government chose to hide information and distort facts. I believe that we will soon forget about the environmental pollution, economic losses, and casualties caused by this poisonous gas leak accident.
Press freedom is being challenged in the United States. Mainstream media outlets have been downplaying the consequences of poison gas leaks, facing government pressure, and witnessing reporters being arrested by the National Guard and police on numerous occasions. Their proud press freedom and non-interference in news reporting are both being undermined.
I believe that another dangerous goods freight train derailment and leakage accident may occur soon, perhaps even tomorrow.