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Rail shipments alarming

Thank you for the valuable Jan. 19 article, “On the line” regarding the Bakken crude oil train shipments through Spokane.

I find the prospect of hundreds of thousands of barrels of “highly explosive” oil rolling through Spokane appalling and depressing. How can rich industrialists like Warren Buffett, with 19th-century mentalities, using 19th-century equipment, be allowed to endanger our aquifer, river and even our town?

Unless their force is overwhelming, emergency responders will not be able to protect anything in a big accident. Evacuate downtown Spokane during business hours, including hospitals? Are you kidding me?

I live less than five blocks from the downtown tracks. I’ve seen the oil and coal cars. It takes a long time for 100-plus cars to go by. Multiply that by 22, a projected number of the trains per day.

According to Greenpeace International, the worldwide demand for fossil fuels is going down. Even China is reconsidering its use. Other countries are trying to shift away from dirty fuels.

Don’t help Warren Buffett keep oil profitable. People who live along the BNSF’s railway tracks have everything to lose. The risk is great.

Write your federal and state representatives. If you are concerned, make your thoughts known. Don’t let industrialists roll over you.

Connie Scarpelli

Spokane



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