Rail Companies Blocked Safety Rules Before Ohio Derailment
Before this weekend’s fiery Norfolk Southern train derailment prompted emergency evacuations in Ohio, the company helped kill a federal safety rule aimed at upgrading the rail industry’s Civil War-era braking systems, according to documents reviewed by The Lever.
Though the company’s 150-car train in Ohio reportedly burst into 100-foot flames upon derailing — and was transporting materials that triggered a fireball when they were released and incinerated — it was not being regulated as a “high-hazard flammable train,” federal officials told The Lever.
Documents show that when current transportation safety rules were first created, a federal agency sided with industry lobbyists and limited regulations governing the transport of hazardous compounds. The decision effectively exempted many trains hauling dangerous materials — including the one in Ohio — from the “high-hazard” classification and its more stringent safety requirements.
Amid the lobbying blitz against stronger transportation safety regulations, Norfolk Southern paid executives millions and spent billions on stock buybacks — all while the company shed thousands of employees despite warnings that understaffing is intensifying safety risks. Norfolk Southern officials also fought off a shareholder initiative that could have required company executives to “assess, review, and mitigate risks of hazardous material transportation.”
It’s vinyl chloride, not PVC, vinyl chloride is used to make PVC. Vinyl chloride has a boiling point of 7.9 degrees Fahrenheit or -13.4 Celsius.
Because of its low boiling point it is subject to flash evaporation. How do you make a train derailment with train cars containing a toxic and flammable substance that will flash evaporate when exposed to air and said cloud of flash evaporated can ignite for a secondary explosion safe for workers to clear? You blow it up so that all the vinyl chlorate immediate evaporates allowing you to also contain and control any secondary explosion.
It makes sense they’re fucking with journalists because Norfolk Southern lobbied to block new safety regulations that could have prevented this. Ohio is a critical crossing point for rail and semi cargo transport. Cops protect and serve the interests of capital.
If you thought last month’s Twitter meltdown over a non-existent gas stove ban would be the strangest part of the 2023 culture wars… you are sadly wrong. Many tweeters are now angry at the beloved Christian conservative chicken chain Chick-fil-A for testing out a “plant-forward” alternative product.
This Thursday, the chain unveiled a breaded cauliflower sandwich. Starting on Monday, February 13, Chick-fil-A will test the new menu item in three markets; Denver, Charleston, S.C., and North Carolina’s Greensboro-Triad region.
“Cauliflower is the hero of our new sandwich, and it was inspired by our original Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich,” Leslie Neslage, the director of menu and packaging at Chick-fil-A said in a statement. “Guests told us they wanted to add more vegetables into their diets, and they wanted a plant-forward entrée that tasted uniquely Chick-fil-A. Our new sandwich is made with the highest quality ingredients and whole vegetables, and we hope it offers customers another reason to dine at Chick-fil-A.”
But a plant-based menu item (much like an induction stove) is a little too woke for some of the chain’s loyal customers The Tweet announcing the new menu item went live on Thursday. As of today the tweet has garnered about 3.5 million views and the comments have been disabled. The post was also rationed with more than 2,000 quote tweets, and about 1,400 likes. The press release announcing the new menu item linked to the tweet opens up a “site can’t be reached” page. The company’s press-room section is also unavailable at the moment.
reactionary idiots gonna idiotically reactionate, baby. This time cauliflower has triggered the dumbasses. What a bunch of assholes.
Also:
I’m sorry marketing genius, but there is no way a single chikkk-fil-a customer in any universe or timeline actually said the words, “I want a plant-forward entrée.”!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s been 2 weeks of absolute shenanigans work-wise, so I got super behind on posting outfits. Anyways, here are 3 from 1/30-2/3, it was cold & I was exhausted! #ootd #fafafafafashionbeepbeep⚡ #EverydayFashion #CheapAssChic #ClearanceFinds #ThriftScore #AllMyClothesFromTheKidsSection #ComfyClothes #hoodie #croptop #joggers #marvelcomics #pink #bunnyslippers #phisockat #leggings #green #grookeygang #sheepboots #fluffysocks #bearsox #skechers #twinkletoes #thebestsneakersintheuniverse #casualpunk #pastelpunk #PunkRockGirl #over50style #agingdisgracefully #mystyle https://www.instagram.com/p/CogE5Ynrhm1/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Apparently the cops claim the black farmers are not victims in spite of them having footage of their neighbors stealing and killing their animals and screenshots of a Facebook group plotting on them.
the cops arrested at least one of the black farmers. I gotta read more on this but that’s at least one more fucked up detail.
ALT
