The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[Biowatch]

the accident was another sign of the dangers of oil drilling

The premise behind that statement is that an increase in U.S. oil production (without a concurrent increase in the number of oil pipelines) goes hand-in-hand with more freight traffic, and an increase in train traffic will result in more accidents.

That and Bakken fuel is high volatility and a more dangerous freight than regular crude oil.

Read this:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/some-facts-about-the-train-derailment-in-virginia/2014/05/01/dbcab4bc-d154-11e3-a714-be7e7f142085_story.html

I suspect the CSX oil train derailment resulted from the deluge of rain Virginia and Maryland received at the time (> 4-5 inches in a day). It caused a street embankment collapse in Baltimore that closed a CSX track. The day after the oil spill in Virginia, there was a CSX coal freight train derailment in Bowie, Maryland, which had "no environmental impact." Two bad days for CSX.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/street-collapses-in-baltimore-washing-away-cars/2014/04/30/89f6dcfa-d0b0-11e3-a6b1-45c4dffb85a6_story.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/csx-train-with-8000-tons-of-coal-derails-thursday-morning-in-bowie-no-injuries/2014/05/01/fb8ae666-d12f-11e3-937f-d3026234b51c_story.html

Baltimore (CSX train track goes under bridge.)