![]() Winans Community Association, the Community of Curtis Bay Association, Residents Against The Tunnels, Railroad Workers United, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Interfaith Power and Light, Clean Water Action, Environmental Integrity Project, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and Stand.earth launched an effort to use zoning laws to block new crude oil train terminals from being built.Thus, Bill 17-150 (popularly known as the Crude Oil Trains Prohibition) was born.A community risesFrom the beginning, there was wide support from Baltimore resident of all backgrounds. They were regularly sharing news on both happenings in the city and in other cities around the country facing similar problems.So when residents learned about an intriguing new community protection strategy utilizing land-use laws was taking root on the West Coast and beyond, they were ready to go.The Crude Oil Trains ProhibitionIt was then that, together, the Westport Neighborhood Association, the Mt. They were having monthly campaign coordinator meetings with city residents, people in impacted neighborhoods, and volunteers in the city working on this campaign. What's more, all these efforts had a positive impact – the community was now organized. They worked with others around the state to pass reforms at the state level, an effort that ultimately fell short.Despite these setbacks, the people of Baltimore weren't deterred. At the city level they raised public awareness around the issue with an investigational hearing and then tried (unsuccessfully) to have the Health Department conduct an impact analysis. In fact, the regulatory agency didn't even consider the risk of crude oil train derailments and explosions in their final decision.So while the immediate threat had passed, Baltimore residents decided they needed to pass more permanent legislation to safeguard themselves, their loved ones, and their city.Organizing for a safer BaltimoreDetermined to take charge of their own safety, the people of Baltimore decided to get organized and find a way to put permanent protections around oil trains in place. People came to public hearings to testify about the danger of oil trains and wrote comments to the regulatory agencies in charge of approving Targa's permitting request.However, at the end of the day, it was a legal technicality around air pollution that protected the Baltimore community from Targa's oil trains. When the public in Baltimore became aware of Targa's plans there was a flurry of public outcry. So when Targa Resources – a Texas-based oil company – purchased a train terminal in South Baltimore and applied for a permit to transfer crude oil, the people of Baltimore took notice.The first fightBefore being purchased by Targa, this train terminal had been used to transfer asphalt and other petroleum products, but never volatile crude oil. Following the tragedy of the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster in Quebec where 47 people were killed in a crude oil train explosion, Baltimore residents were on edge. In fact, there are a number of freight rail lines running through their city, and residents are no stranger to train derailments.But as harmful as an ordinary train derailment can be, it pales in comparison to what can unfold when a train carrying crude oil derails – and explodes. ![]() Baltimore and the oil trainsAs the most populous city in Maryland and second largest seaport in the Mid-Atlantic, Baltimore has deep ties to industry.
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