‘Bomb Train’ Suits Seen Slowing U.S. Oil Independence
A warning sign for a petroleum pipeline stands in front of Kinder Morgan Inc. signage displayed at the company's facility in Richmond, California, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 21, 2014. Crude-oil handling facilities at the end of rail lines from Albany, New York, to Richmond, California, are mired in lawsuits filed by community and environmental groups claiming they were kept in the dark about the projects.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergRail yard projects vital to the flow of crude from the shale oil boom are being waylaid by legal challenges that may slow the march to U.S. energy independence.
Crude-oil handling facilities along rail lines in cities from Albany, New York, to Richmond, California, are mired in lawsuits by community and environmental groups claiming they were kept in the dark about the projects. They accuse local regulators of giving cursory review and rubber-stamping operating permits for proposals that pose threats to their safety and the environment.