NEW YORK - Environmental groups are taking the Obama administration to court over what they call "weak" safety rules for oil shipped by rail. It's a timely issue given last week's fatal Amtrak derailment.

Sean Dixon, an attorney with Hudson Riverkeeper, says the rules issued this month don't contain enough specifics, and don't address the broader issue of crude oil safety on the railways. For example, he says, the Amtrak crash happened within several hundred feet of a line of tank cars.

"There's nothing in this rule that even attempts to address human error, with respect to early reports out of Philadelphia on the Amtrak derailment that high speed may have been a player," says Dixon. "So, there's a lot of ancillary issues with respect to crude safety that aren't anywhere in this rule."

Dixon says the lawsuit filed last week by Earthjustice charges the administration with not doing enough to protect public safety. The American Petroleum Institute also has taken issue with the new rules and filed suit in the D.C. Circuit.

Some in the petroleum and railroad industries are voluntarily taking steps to improve tank car safety.

Larissa Liebmann, staff attorney with the Waterkeeper Alliance, says the oil industry relies on so-called unit trains, which often link as many as 120 tank cars carrying more than three-million tons of crude oil.

"Even beyond the fact that we have explosions and fires that can happen in communities, a single spill of one tank car can mess up the water for swimming for a good amount of time, for fishing," says Liebmann. "It can cause drinking water sources to be contaminated."

Nationwide, Dixon says there has been a 4,000 percent increase in the amount of crude oil shipped by rail in the past six years and a significant share rolls through New York.

"Recent numbers have shown that about a quarter of all of the oil produced in the Bakken fields comes through Albany," says Dixon. "This last winter, that number got a little bit higher. So, we are a pretty significant player, in terms of regions through which these trains are being shipped."

The suit was filed in the 9th Circuit on behalf of the Sierra Club, the Waterkeeper Alliance and several other conservation groups.


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Federal data show health care and technology-related jobs are still in high demand but a career in clean energy is now at the top of the list, too, and Wisconsin labor leaders said opportunities are unfolding in the region.

New findings from the Climate Jobs National Resource Center list 82 Wisconsin projects tied to the clean energy transition in the pipeline, which could qualify for tax incentives and key labor standards under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Emily Pritzkow, executive director of the Wisconsin Building Trades Council, said companies behind wind, solar and similar development need to attract workers while adhering to hiring benchmarks.

"Excellent pay, flexibility," Pritzkow pointed out. "And we are rising to meet that."

Labor standards for Inflation Reduction Act projects call for apprenticeships to be offered, so new hires can learn on the job. Pritzkow stressed Wisconsin unions play a big role in carrying out the learning aspect of the hiring boom. There are challenges though, with labor groups noting not enough people are aware of job possibilities and the need for things like affordable housing if a worker has to relocate for their new career.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists wind turbine technicians and solar installers as the fastest growing occupations in the U.S. In amplifying messaging, Pritzkow emphasized they have to overcome long-held beliefs only certain other industries, such as dentistry, routinely offer stable employment.

"I think there maybe are some old ideas about what working in the trades means," Pritzkow observed. "These are not temporary jobs. These are meant to be careers."

She added clean energy projects are helping to fuel record demand for apprenticeships. Earlier this year, four major utilities operating in Wisconsin pledged to hire union workers for development spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act. The Climate Jobs National Resource Center estimates the incentives will lead to more than 42,000 union-scale jobs in Wisconsin.

A volunteer program has caught the attention of West Virginia tourism officials.

The Dolly Sods Wilderness Stewards program has been recognized with a "Spirit of West Virginia Award." The program started as a collaboration in 2021 with West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and the Monongahela National Forest.

Dave Johnston, program coordinator, said volunteers are trained to educate visitors on 'leave no trace' principles, trail cleaning and more.

"Taking inventories of campsites and things like that," Johnston explained. "We're basically serving as eyes and ears for the Forest Service for what's going on in the backcountry."

More than 100 volunteers work to preserve and maintain the more than 17,000-acre area in the Allegheny Mountains. According to the International Journal of Wilderness, more states are turning to volunteer groups to maintain trails and collect data, as dollars for the management of federal lands have decreased.

Johnston added the work is important for sustaining protected lands for future generations, noting wilderness areas are specially designated by Congress to remain as pristine as possible.

"They're the most primitive form of public lands that are set aside for people to enjoy in this country," Johnston emphasized.

According to numbers by the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, an estimated 35,000 people hike and retreat to the Dolly Sods each year.


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One of nature's hardest workers is facing extinction from repeated exposure to a dangerous pesticide.

Scientists conducting CT scans reveal neonicotinoid pesticides or "neonics" attack baby bumblebees' brain development and cause neurological damage like paralysis, shaking or death. Use of the chemical introduced in the 1900s has grown globally.

The policy and action group Environment Illinois wants the worst uses of the products banned and removed from store shelves.

Emily Kowalski, outreach and engagement manager for the group, said the chemical is an ingredient in household products and agricultural or industrial applications.

"Neonic pesticides are used on crops but also can be found in some pesticides that are used in home gardens," Kowalski explained. "And are also increasingly being found on coated-on seeds that are being used for farming."

Kowalski added the neonic-coated seeds can contain extremely high chemical concentrations. The global environmental group Greenpeace indicated fruits, nuts, and vegetables and 70% of human food crops are pollinated by bees.

Eleven states have legislation on the books that prohibits the use of dangerous bee-killing products. Illinois is not one of them. In this year's session, lawmakers discussed the "Birds and Bees Act," which would limit the use of neonic pesticides. Kowalski hopes legislators will do more.

"This is a bill that we're supporting, and we are excited to work with legislators to move it forward," Kowalski emphasized. "From the advocacy community, I know there is a lot of appetite to take action, whether it's in this upcoming legislative session, or in looking at the next few years, making sure that Illinois is the next state to protect our pollinators."

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has cited habitat loss, mites, competition from nonnative species, and diseases as contributors to a declining bee population.


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