Oil train numbers keep going up

The number of trains hauling crude oil, ethanol, and coal through northern Idaho keeps growing. Here are the facts:

Bakken crude oil is highly explosive. It easily bursts into fire resistant to water. Oil trains pollute the air, contributing to higher rates of cancer, heart attack, and stroke. Oil trains are up to 1.5 miles long and often block street crossings for more than 10 minutes — irritating if you’re a driver, potentially deadly if you’re waiting for an ambulance. Each coal car loses 500 pounds of dust every 500 miles. That dust is laden with heavy metals including those with radioactive elements.

NANCY J. SCHMIDT

Sandpoint

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