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mahatmakanejeeves

(60,943 posts)
39. Oil trains raise alarm for Denver residents in growing neighborhoods
Wed Dec 2, 2015, 09:45 AM
Dec 2015
Denver and the West

Oil trains raise alarm for Denver residents in growing neighborhoods

Advocates and some City Council members worry about danger posed by sharp increase in railroad traffic of flammable liquids

By Jon Murray
The Denver Post
303-954-1405
jmurray@denverpost.com
@JonMurray

Posted: 12/01/2015 04:05:44 PM MST
Updated: 12/02/2015 01:36:35 AM MST

Peering through four panes of insulating glass, it's not the noise that bothers Don Cohen as a daily parade of freight trains passes 50 feet outside his condo. He and some Riverfront Park neighbors are troubled by what they're seeing on the tracks more frequently. Tanker trains carrying crude oil and other flammable liquids — reflecting a shift in energy trends — rumble past the gleaming high-rise condo and apartment buildings several times a week, he says.

Those tankers pass near other Denver neighborhoods, too, old and new, upscale and hardscrabble. Highways and railroads box in some areas, with only one way out if disaster were to strike.

The trains also travel near the city's major sports venues and Elitch Gardens Theme and Water Park, raising fears among some about what might happen in a fiery derailment or other accident — however small the chances might be.

Appeals by Cohen and others to city officials for increased emergency planning have met with mixed success. ... The issue prompted a rare budget amendment dispute in early November between Mayor Michael Hancock and a majority of the City Council, led by at-large member Debbie Ortega. Hancock rejected their amendment to fund a $250,000 outside safety study. Instead, he ordered up a working group, led by Fire Chief Eric Tade, that by July 1 will examine what more the city might do to reduce risks.
....

Jon Murray: 303-954-1405, jmurray@denverpost.com or @JonMurray
Thanks for keeping us up to date on these important matters. elleng Mar 2015 #1
The stuff was getting scattered. I was impressed by progree's analysis mahatmakanejeeves Mar 2015 #2
Yes, that's very impressive. elleng Mar 2015 #3
Links, Late 2014 - April 30, 2015 mahatmakanejeeves Apr 2015 #4
This message was self-deleted by its author mahatmakanejeeves Apr 2015 #11
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This message was self-deleted by its author mahatmakanejeeves Apr 2015 #8
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Links, May 1 - July 31, 2015 mahatmakanejeeves May 2015 #13
This message was self-deleted by its author mahatmakanejeeves Dec 2015 #40
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Thanks for keeping track of these derailments, n/t DemReadingDU May 2015 #15
De nada, but note that mahatmakanejeeves May 2015 #17
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Oil trains raise alarm for Denver residents in growing neighborhoods mahatmakanejeeves Dec 2015 #39
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Thanks. Here's more, from the NTSB: mahatmakanejeeves Feb 2019 #62
Thanks for doing this for all these years. nt Hotler Feb 2019 #63
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Post removed Post removed Aug 2023 #75
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