The U.S. Department of Transportation determined that details about volatile oil train shipments are not sensitive security information and should be released to state officials. This decision was made after big railroads like CSX, BNSF Railways, and Union Pacific sought to keep the information secret following repeated fiery accidents involving these oil trains.
The transportation department ordered the railroads to release information on oil-train routes and volumes so emergency responders can actually be prepared for potential accidents along those routes, according to The Washington Post.
So I guess that means Virginians will finally get a chance to know when and where these volatile oil trains will be traveling through the Commonwealth – wrong.
The railroads convinced some states, including Virginia, to sign agreements restricting the information’s release. The rationale? So-called “business and security” reasons. This is despite the fact that the Federal Railroad Administration determined that the travel information of these oil trains is not sensitive information that poses any security risk.
Thompson added that railroads could have appropriate claims that the information should be kept confidential for business reasons, but said states and railroads would have to work that out.
Virginia is not alone in opting to keep this information secret. California, New Jersey, Minnesota and Colorado have also sided in favor of the railroads.
I’m baffled by the decision to keep this basic information secret from state officials and citizens of the Commonwealth. Considering that many Virginians had their lives turned upside down when an oil train derailed in Lynchburg, I think we have a right to know when these potentially hazardous oil trains are traveling through the Commonwealth.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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