Oil company knew all along that it was transporting highly explosive chemicals

Days after a mile-long train?derailed and exploded in a ?giant fireball?, and following a similar incident in July that killed 47 people, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration announced Thursday that oil?fracked out of North Dakota's Bakken Shale -- the same oil behind both explosions -- was believed to contain more flammable, corrosive and toxic chemicals than ordinary crude oil.It was news to most of us, but not, as DeSmogB ...

http://www.salon.com/2014/01/06/oil_company_knew_all_along_that_it_was

North Dakota?s oil is more flammable than other crudes, feds warn

The oil that?s being fracked out of North Dakota and Montana may pose a ?significant fire risk,? federal regulators warned yesterday.This news comes after three trains carrying?crude oil from Bakken shale formation derailed and exploded last year. The most deadly derailment occurred last summer in?Lac-M?gantic, Quebec, killing 47 people. Then, in November, there was a?fiery crash of rail cars into an?Alabama wetlands area. And finally, this week ...

http://grist.org/climate-energy/north-dakotas-oil-is-more-flammable-th

Wyoming: 2013 saw more than 500 spills but not one fine

Amy Mall, Senior Policy Analyst, Washington, D.C. According to a new report from Wyoming Public Media, there were more than 500 spills in the oil and gas industry in 2013--in Wyoming alone. But the?Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission did not fine any of the responsible companies for spills. Not one.The spilled?materials included?oil, natural gas, wastewater or drilling mud--all of which can include toxic substances. What's ...

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/amall/wyoming_2013_saw_more_than_500

Acknowledging Influx Of Oil-By-Rail Shipments, Minnesota Braces For Disaster

W tanker train carrying crude oil burns after derailing in western Alabama outside Aliceville, Ala., early Friday.CREDIT: AP Photo/Alabama Emergency Management AgencyAt least one state has learned a lesson from the crude oil train derailment in North Dakota that caused massive explosions and forced 65 percent of the nearby town?s residents out of their homes.Minnesota officials on Thursday said that they are bracing for similar derailments in the ...

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/01/03/3115801/crude-rail-minneso

Judge Rules Exxon Must Face Criminal Charges Over 50,000 Gallon Fracking Waste Spill

Fracking opponents protest before the Tom Corbett inauguration to become the 46th governor of Pennsylvania at the state capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011.CREDIT: AP Photo/Matt RourkeExxon Mobil Corp. subsidiary XTO Energy will have to face criminal charges for allegedly dumping tens of thousands of gallons of hydraulic fracturing waste at a Marcellus Shale drilling site in 2010, according to a Pennsylvania judge?s ruling on Thurs ...

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/01/03/3115991/exxon-criminal-cha

Amish Solution to Fracking Boom?Cash Out and Leave

... the Amish are cashing in on the boom brought about by hydraulic fracturing. But unlike the non-Amish accepting fracking royalties in exchange for .. ...

https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.allgov.com/news/where-is-the-m

The Last Mile: Are Solar-Powered Autonomous Cars Around the ...

In coming years, roads could be packed with fully electric cars, fully automated cars, even fully hydrogen-powered or road-trained cars. Or no cars ...

https://www.google.com/url?q=http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/the-futu