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BNSF, UP sue California over crude by rail regulations
Once again California is messing with the railroad again
As if they the UP and BNSF can’t provide a “Certificate of Financial Responsibility”, now short lines, that’s a different story. You have to keep in mind this is California, we’re sue happy.
I don’t think that this should be considered “regulation of interstate commerce”. A number of states have safety regulations for railroads and all state regulate highway safety. If this were rate regulation, I think it would be unconstitutional. However, I am NOT a lawyer so my opinion is irrelevant.
There just doing that for the money, before that BNSF and UP could move anything through california
$11 Million a year isn’t going to be much of a fund for the state to use for spill prevention and emergency cleanup. First, how do they propose to do this “spill prevention”? Second, $11 Million isn’t going to even begin to cover an emergency cleanup. In such an event, every entity involved – local, state, and federal governments, railroads, etc. – will spend the money up front and sort it out with the railroads and shippers and their insurance carriers later.
The land of flakes, fruits and nuts is at it again.
They should stick to “consent” for sex laws and other childish play.
Think through this clearly: California discourages the transportation of oil into the state, while Utah plans to build a new 100-mile railroad to better transport oil (see the article in Trains Newswire). This is Alice through the Looking Glass. Be warned: by the time the new Utah road is completed, the oil from Utah will not be able to reach the Pacific due to anti-oil and anti-oil train rules and regulations that will have been put in place in the three Pacific states by the groups who are pushing environmental extremism. American railroads must stand up for their interstate commerce rights against theses attacks, or valuable commodities like oil and coal will no longer be able to reach their markets. It will put suppliers out if business, or force them to use other transportation through other regions. All of this is completely insane. But it is happening right before our very eyes. If private railroads are to survive, we need to VOTE POLITICIANS who are acting for the extremists against railroads OUT OF OFFICE.
Steven Hites has put it succinctly and brilliantly. California is the land of either 1) the insane or 2) America-hating anti-capitalists. Take your pick.
California is a disgrace. Welcome illegal aliens and shun businesses.
Why don’t you loud mouth anti-California caricatures wait and see how this plays out in the Courts???
The BNSF and the UP can’t afford a ‘certificate of financial responsibility’ ?
They can’t afford a cleanup the size of the one in LacMegantic that Canada had to pick up after professional Shyster and Thief Edward Burkhardt’s pretend railroad, the MM&A, went “bankrupt” and got sold in a fire sale ?!
I’m amused by the posters here that are attempting to make this a “free market” issue, weeping about energy markets and FREEDOM when not a drop of this diluted bitumen goop that we’re talking about is going to be used domestically…it’s ALL headed overseas.
Time to do away with dependence on filthy oil byproducts that are a real threat to the safety of the unsuspecting public that lives along the railroads’ rights of way and is poisoning our grandchildren’s future.
I’m surprised that Trains allows this type of “discussion”. Another rail fan site with the obligatory “I hate California” thread. And of course from people who live in states that have their best years behind them. I mean really, Connecticut? Seriously? Is that still a state?