skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Massive Tanker Explosion Highlights Water, Oil and Chemical Issues

play audio
Play

Tuesday, February 17, 2015   

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The derailment and massive explosion of a crude oil tanker train highlights threats to drinking water, as well as concerns about shipping crude oil and chemicals, advocates say.

The train derailment in Fayette County on Monday forced American West Virginia Water to suspend tap water supplies to 2,000 residents of Montgomery, 28 miles upstream from Charleston.

Maya Nye, executive director of People Concerned About Chemical Safety, says a train on the same line - also carrying crude oil - derailed in Virginia last April. That accident caused a huge explosion that forced the evacuation of downtown Lynchburg.

"This is the second train derailment of crude oil shipment along this rail line in less than a year," says Nye. "There have been massive explosions. It just goes to show you how dangerous this stuff really is."

Officials say the derailment set 14 tankers on fire and spilled oil into the Kanawha River, set a house on fire and threatened local drinking water. No serious injuries have been reported as a result of the accident.

The derailment and spill come just as the state legislature is considering a bill to roll back oil and gas storage regulations passed after the Elk River chemical spill last year. Nye says many lawmakers want to gut those drinking water protections, but she notes another bill under consideration would add pollution protections on one section of the Kanawha River.

"There was a public hearing talking about removing an exemption from the Kanawha River to try to make it safe for a drinking water source for Charleston," says Nye. "Then this kind of thing happens."

It is unclear if the oil spill upstream will impact the Kanawha River in Charleston.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021