Stop the ‘bomb trains’

Sign the [Catskill Mountainkeeper] petition telling President Biden and United States Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to keep “bomb trains” carrying highly explosive liquefied natural gas (LNG) out of our communities. 

Transporting LNG by train is extremely dangerous—just 22 rail cars carrying LNG contain the energy equivalent of a nuclear bomb. These trains expose residents to air pollution and bring volatile, explosive cargo within throwing distance from families’ homes. The margin for error when transporting LNG by rail is paper thin, and even the slightest accident would result in tragedy.

Train derailments are not unheard of, and the consequences of these incidents are devastating. Earlier this month, a train carrying vinyl chloride derailed in an Ohio community, poisoning local air and water. If that train had been carrying LNG, the town would have likely been leveled entirely. 

If we don’t stop LNG transport by rail, companies like New Fortress Energy could shuttle bomb trains through rural and urban communities in Pennsylvania—including Scranton and Philadelphia—to an export terminal in Gibbstown, NJ.

To protect these communities and our climate, we need to suspend the Trump-era regulation that permits the country-wide bulk transportation of LNG by rail.

This is a critical moment, and we ask that you please add your name to our petition calling for a ban on the transportation of LNG by rail.

The petition can be found at www.catskillmountainkeeper.org/stop_lng_by_rail.

Wes Gillingham
Co-founder and associate director, Catskill Mountainkeeper
Hurleyville, NY

Thank you for ‘Art isn’t easy’

What a pleasure it was to read the article “Art isn’t easy” by Jonathan C. Fox!

I felt so uplifted by the work that was shared in his article.

This proactive approach and the nod to “Sunday in the Park with George” grabbed me.

 Thank you for publishing such pieces.

 Hope Blecher-Croney
Parksville, NY

Reducing neonics saves bees

Bees need us. They are being killed by neurotoxins called neonicotinoids (neonics for short). Just one neonic-treated corn seed has enough active ingredients to kill 250,000 bees. When neonics in treated corn and soybean seeds became more toxic, bee die-off increased. As with mercury and lead, there are no known safe levels for these chemicals, and they are in our soil, water and, increasingly, in us. They sterilize the soil and cannot be removed from water.

We need bees. Loss of bees means less food, more expensive food and fewer choices. Farmers have recently cut back on apple, cherry and blueberry crops due to an insufficient number of bees to pollinate.

The New York Birds and Bees Protection Act (A7429A/S699D) would eliminate 80 to 90 percent of these neonics that are killing pollinators. It does allow continued use to combat the wooly adelgid and other invasive species, and it allows a farmer who couldn’t access untreated seeds to use it. 

Quebec and Ontario phased out most neonic-treated crop seeds; Maine and New Jersey banned neonics in gardens. This past July, France banned pesticide use in all private and public areas. The good news is that New York State passed the act with bipartisan support in both state houses, but not in the same year as required.

Bees need us. Please call our state legislators to support a renewed New York Birds and Bees Protection Act during the 2023 session. Remember, this act protects us too!

Depending on your district, this means calling Peter Oberacker at 607/432-5524 and Aileen Gunther at 845/794-5807; Michelle Hinchey at 845/331-3810 and Sarahana Shrestha at 845/658-0274; or and Brian Maher at 607/353-7976. Phoning is more effective than emailing, and the bees are worth it!

Doris Chorny
Wallkill, NY