Rail safety 成果／努力 marred by squabbling
WASHINGTON (AP) ― Spurred by a 一連の fiery train 衝突，墜落s, a 押し進める by 政府 and 産業 to make safer 戦車／タンク cars used for shipping 天然のまま oil and ethanol has bogged 負かす／撃墜する in squabbling and finger-pointing over whether they're needed and if so, who should 支払う／賃金.
The Transportation Department, worried about the 可能性のある for 壊滅的な 事故s 伴う／関わるing oil and ethanol trains that are いつかs as many as 100 cars long, is 草案ing new 戦車／タンク-car 規則s 目的（とする）d at making the cars いっそう少なく likely to 流出／こぼす their contents in the event of a 衝突，墜落. But final 支配するs aren't 推定する／予想するd until late this year at the earliest, and it is ありふれた for such 政府 rulemaking to drag on for years.
But one safety 公式の／役人 said 緊急の 活動／戦闘 is needed.
FILE - This Dec. 30, 2013 とじ込み／提出する photo shows a fireball going up at the 場所／位置 of an oil train derailment in Casselton, N.D. An 成果／努力 by 政府 and 産業 to make the 戦車／タンク cars used to ship 天然のまま oil and ethanol safer, spurred by a 一連の fiery train 衝突，墜落s, is becoming 苦境に陥るd in squabbling and finger-pointing. The Department of Transportation, 関心d about the 可能性のある for 壊滅的な 事故s 伴う／関わるing oil and ethanol trains that are いつかs as many as 100 cars long, is 草案ing new 戦車／タンク car 規則s 目的（とする）d at making the cars いっそう少なく likely to 流出／こぼす their contents in the event of a 衝突，墜落. But final 規則s aren?t 推定する／予想するd until the end of the year at the earliest, and it is ありふれた for such 政府 rulemakings to drag on for years. (AP Photo/Bruce Crummy, とじ込み／提出する)
The Obama 行政 needs to take steps すぐに to 保護する the public from 潜在的に 壊滅的な oil train 事故s even if it means using 緊急 当局, Deborah Hersman, chairwoman of the 国家の Transportation Safety Board, said Wednesday.
"We are very （疑いを）晴らす that this 問題／発行する needs to be 行為／法令／行動するd on very quickly," she told reporters at the 結論 of a two-day 会議 the board held on the rail 輸送（する） of oil and ethanol. "There is a very high 危険 here that hasn't been 演説（する）／住所d."
The Transportation Department said in a 声明 in 返答 to Hersman that: Safety is our 最高の，を越す 優先, which is why we're putting every 選択 on the （米）棚上げする／（英）提議する when it comes to 改善するing the 安全な 輸送（する） of 天然のまま oil by rail."
The freight 鉄道／強行採決する 産業 提案するd tougher 戦車／タンク-car 基準s last 落ちる, and recently upped its 提案 another notch. The 政府 and the 協会 of American 鉄道／強行採決するs say oil 存在 shipped from the にわか景気ing Bakken 地域 of North Dakota and Montana may be more volatile than 以前 thought.
But oil companies ― which own or 賃貸し（する） the 戦車／タンク cars, and would have to 耐える much of the cost of tougher 基準s ― want to stick to voluntary 基準s agreed to by both 産業s three years ago unless it can be shown that new 基準s are needed, American 石油 学校／設ける 公式の／役人s said. The 鉄道／強行採決するs, they say, are 辞退するing to 株 the "科学の basis" for their 提案.
The 石油 学校／設ける wants "a 包括的な examination" of changes 提案するd by the rail 産業, 含むing whatever computer-modeling was used to support tougher 基準s so that it can be peer-reviewed, said Brian Straessle, a 広報担当者 for the 学校／設ける. "So far, no data has been 供給するd," he said.
The 鉄道／強行採決するs are "pulling this out of thin 空気／公表する," said Eric Wohlschlegel, another 石油 学校／設ける 公式の／役人.
The 政府, however, says it's the oil 産業 that's not 株ing its data. Transportation Department 公式の／役人s complained recently that the 機関 had received only 限られた／立憲的な data from a few oil companies on the safety 特徴 of Bakken oil, にもかかわらず requests made in January by 長官 Anthony Foxx. Hundreds of oil 生産者s, shippers, and 仲買人s operate in the 地域.
So far, only seven oil companies have 答える／応じるd, and several of those 供給するd only sparse （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状）, Foxx said in an interview. The 政府 wants to know what is in the oil so regulators can decide what types of 保護s are needed for shipping, he said.
"One of the most 根底となる questions that 削減（する）s across everything in 天然のまま oil by rail is how it is 分類するd," Foxx said. "If it is not 分類するd 正確に at the beginning, then it is not 一括d 正確に and the 緊急 返答 needs aren't understood by the communities through which this 構成要素 is moving."
The oil 産業 is using every 戦車／タンク car 利用できる to keep up with the exponential growth in Bakken oil 生産／産物 since hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," made it possible to 抽出する more oil from the ground. Freight 鉄道／強行採決するs 輸送（する）d 434,032 carloads of 天然のまま in 2013, up from just 9,500 in 2008. Three years ago, the U.S. became a 逮捕する 輸出業者 of 石油 製品s for the first time since 1949. Ethanol 生産／産物 has also 増大するd 劇的な, creating 競争 for 利用できる rail cars. About 69,000 carloads of ethanol were shipped on rails in 2005. Last year, it was about 325,000 carloads.
In July, a runaway oil train derailed and 爆発するd in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, 近づく the Maine 国境. Forty-seven people died and 30 buildings were 火葬するd. Rail and safety 公式の／役人s said they were surprised by the ferocity of the 解雇する／砲火／射撃. They were used to 取引，協定ing with sludge-like 天然のまま that doesn't 点火（する） easily, but Canadian 捜査官／調査官s said the combustibility of the 1.3 million gallons of light, 甘い Bakken 天然のまま 解放（する）d in Lac-Megantic was more 類似の to ガソリン.
There have been eight 重要な 事故s in the U.S. and Canada in the past year 伴う／関わるing trains 運ぶ／漁獲高ing 天然のまま oil, 含むing several that resulted in みごたえのある 解雇する／砲火／射撃s, によれば a 贈呈 by 衝突，墜落 捜査官／調査官s at a two-day 国家の Transportation Safety Board 会議 this week on the 輸送（する） of 天然のまま oil and ethanol. Most of the 事故s occurred in lightly 居住させるd areas, although one derailment and 解雇する／砲火／射撃 in December occurred いっそう少なく than two miles from the town of Casselton, N.D.
鉄道／強行採決するs can't be sure what they're 運ぶ／漁獲高ing, said Robert Fronczak, assistant 副／悪徳行為 大統領，／社長 of the rail 協会. Given that 不確定, he said, they want oil shipped in 戦車／タンク cars with 厚い 爆撃するs like those 要求するd for 化学製品s that form 有毒な vapo r clouds when 解放（する）d.
Regulators who have 実験（する）d some Bakken oil 見本s on their own 警告するd 緊急 responders and the public in January that it could be more dangerous than many 従来の types of 天然のまま. But 石油 学校／設ける 公式の／役人s say they don't believe Bakken 天然のまま is 意味ありげに different than other light 天然のままs, such as those from Texas.
Transportation 公式の／役人s are now "査定する／（税金などを）課すing whether or not we will need to take 付加 steps to gather the （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） we requested" from oil companies, によれば a 政府 声明 供給するd to The Associated 圧力（をかける）.
Thousands of older 戦車／タンク cars that predate the voluntary 基準s 可決する・採択するd three years ago may also have to be discontinued for oil 輸送（する）, Fronczak said. Canadian 当局 発表するd Wednesday that they will 要求する a three-year 段階 out or retrofit of older cars like the ones that 決裂d in Lac-Megantic. But oil 産業 顧問 物陰／風下 Johnson, 証言するing for the 石油 学校／設ける, told the safety board that U.S. oil companies need the "柔軟性" to continue to use the older cars, and any 決定／判定勝ち（する） on retrofits should be "data-driven."
Of course, if the 鉄道／強行採決する 産業 were to do a better 職業 of 直す／買収する，八百長をするing broken and substandard 跡をつける, a major 原因（となる） of 事故s, or 任命する／導入するing 肯定的な train 支配（する）／統制する, a 科学（工学）技術 designed to 減ずる human error and 妨げる the most 壊滅的な 肉親，親類d of 衝突／不一致s, there might be より小数の 衝突，墜落s, Christopher Barkan, (n)役員／(a)執行力のある director of the 鉄道／強行採決する 工学 program at the University of Illinois, told the board.
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FILE - This Dec. 11, 2013 とじ込み／提出する photo shows 国家の Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) 議長，司会を務める Deborah Hersman speaking in Washington. An 成果／努力 by 政府 and 産業 to make the 戦車／タンク cars used to ship 天然のまま oil and ethanol safer, spurred by a 一連の fiery train 衝突，墜落s, is becoming 苦境に陥るd in squabbling and finger-pointing. The Department of Transportation, 関心d about the 可能性のある for 壊滅的な 事故s 伴う／関わるing oil and ethanol trains that are いつかs as many as 100 cars long, is 草案ing new 戦車／タンク car 規則s 目的（とする）d at making the cars いっそう少なく likely to 流出／こぼす their contents in the event of a 衝突，墜落. But final 規則s aren?t 推定する／予想するd until the end of the year at the earliest, and it is ありふれた for such 政府 rulemakings to drag on for years. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn ツバメ, とじ込み／提出する)
