Zip Rail — Lobbying? Conflict?
January 16th, 2016
Yeah, Chucky’s baaaaaack! And if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck…
Chuck Michael is back and he has been for a while on this Zip Rail project. And it’s a small world, particularly in this public policy and infrastructure area.
Turns out it’s much smaller, he’s been working a couple of sides of this project, Olmsted County and apparently the North American High Speed Rail Group, meeting with officials in “other states.” And they’ve been to Washington, together, and have been lobbying hard in Minnesota, both Olmsted County and NAHSR:
And look how he’s represented for the conference, Twin Cities HSR Passenger Corridor, on which that article above was based, where an Olmsted County representative and a NAHSR rep are also on the bill:
U.S. High Speed Rail Conference
Hear about the new private high speed rail project advancing in Minnesota being developed by Zip Rail and North American High Speed Rail Group, a Minnesota company set up to develop, construct, own and operate electric high speed rail systems in the USA.
-Ken Brown, Olmsted County
-Chuck Michael, Twin Cities HSR Passenger Corridor
A project from Las Vegas to LA was waved around as competition to this Metro – Rochester Zip Rail, as in a threat of “build Zip Rail and if not we’ll go to Vegas,” and if so, doesn’t that “competition” mean it’s a conflict, and not working in the interests of Olmsted County? Or is it that Michael went “out of state” as in to Washington? It doesn’t say what project he was working on “out of state,” whether it was Zip Rail or something else. That should be disclosed.
But big picture, I don’t see this as much as a “conflict” as an “reporting” issue, because based on the conference presentation above, their lobbying together, because I’d guess the parties’ interests regarding Zip Rail, the positions/interests of Olmsted County and NAHSR are pretty much the same, though Olmsted County should have more of a sense of working in the public interest. THAT is a problem, and it’s Olmsted County’s problem and the voters there should address this!
More of an issue is declaration of those interests and where and how much money is devoted to pushing those interests. Who’s registered with Campaign Finance Board? Chuck Michael is not registered as a lobbyist under any entity. Nada… The essence of his job is lobbying, in Minnesota and nationally, and he’s not listed with the Campaign Finance Board. Not Olmsted County, and not North American High Speed Rail. I think it’s time Chuck Michael and the associations he’s working for on this project register and disclose.
Anyone that had anything to do with Excelsior Energy’s Mesaba Project, as Chuck Michael did, needs high scrutiny.
Two derailments in WI, one with Bakken BOOM! oil
November 9th, 2015
The good news is it didn’t blow up, hasn’t blown up yet… let’s hope that trend continues. People have been evacuated, and can’t return until… ???
From CBS 58:
35 Homes Evacuated after 1,000 Gallons of Crude Oil Spill in Train Derailment
And our Amtrak “train every day, leaving either way” is not running:
From Karl Zarling:
And from CARS of Milwaukee, FYI, 1267 is Bakken BOOM! super-volatile crude oil:
Info on the derailment near Alma, WI is separate below, posted Saturday.
Today – train derailment north of Alma, WI
November 7th, 2015
And the good news is that it’s NOT Bakken BOOM! oil, only denatured alcohol and some empty car cars. The evacuation has been lifted and people are returning. The other good news is that this means they won’t be shipping on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi anytime soon, with the associated bad news that then they’ll be shipping through Red Wing more often.
Some good photos here:
NOTE: There’s a Minneapolis CARS message below regarding the November 10th Mpls. City Council meeting.
From News8000:
Emergency crews on scene of 32-car train derailment north of Alma
From KSTP 5:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here’s the Minneapolis CARS (Citizens Acting for Rail Safety) message:
Nov 10th -- Attention Minneapolis residents: Support a Strong Rail Safety Resolution! Hello CARS network, as we reported last month, the City of Minneapolis is preparing a rail safety resolution that will come before the Transportation and Public Works committee on November 10th. We are encouraged from conversations with City Council members that the resolution will be a great first step forward and that the resolution is likely to pass the committee and the City Council. There is also understanding that this will be a living document that will need updating as more information is available. It is important that the City Council hear from us to know that the community is supportive of this important work. There are two ways you can do this: 1) Mark your calendars to attend the Minneapolis City Council Transportation & Public Works Committee meeting next Tuesday, November 10, 2015 at 9:30 am in the Council Chamber, Room 317 of City Hall. If you are able to attend, please let us know by replying to this email. Comments will not be allowed, but your presence will be important. Please also plan to stay for a brief press conference that is being organized for approximately 11:30 am. As the media reports this important success, it is important that we have as many people in attendance as possible showing community support. 2) Contact your Minneapolis City Council member to thank them for supporting a strong rail safety resolution. Call or Email them with some version of the following message, sharing your own personal story of living near the rails if you are willing. I am concerned about the risks that freight trains carrying crude oil, ethanol and other hazardous materials pose to my neighborhood. I thank the City for its leadership in supporting a strong Rail Safety Resolution that will protect Minneapolis. MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL CONTACT INFORMATION Ward 1 - kevin.reich@minneapolismn.gov - (612)673-2201 Ward 2 - cam.gordon@minneapolismn.gov - (612)673-2202 Ward 3 - jacob.frey@minneapolismn.gov - (612)673-2203 Ward 4 - barbara.johnson@minneapolismn.gov - (612)673-2204 Ward 5 - blong.yang@minneapolismn.gov - (612)673-2205 Ward 6 - abdi.warsame@minneapolismn.gov - (612)673-2206 Ward 7 - lisa.goodman@minneapolismn.gov - (612)673-2207 Ward 8 - elizabeth.glidden@minneapolismn.gov - (612)673-2208 Ward 9 - alondra.cano@minneapolismn.gov - (612)673-2209 Ward 10 - lisa.bender@minneapolismn.gov - (612)673-2210 Ward 11 - john.quincy@minneapolismn.gov - (612)673-2211 Ward 12 - andrew.johnson@minneapolismn.gov - (612)673-2212 Ward 13 - linea.palmisano@minneapolismn.gov - (612)673-2213 Cars Contact Info: Cathy Velasquez Eberhart Citizens Acting for Rail Safety - Twin Cities saferailstwincities@gmail.com 651-587-5356 on Facebook at: facebook.com/saferailstwincities
Muller: Time to think about…
August 23rd, 2015
Commentary by Alan Muller, Green Delaware, in today’s Delaware State News:
Commentary: Time to think about Delaware’s Peterson, Coastal Zone Act
So what about this Coastal Zone Act? What makes it special and worth preserving.
Alan Muller is Executive Director of Green Delaware.
Another Bakken BOOM! train explodes
May 6th, 2015
This photo was taken by neighbor Jennifer Willi, who lives about 1/2 mile from the scene of the derailment, near Heimdal, North Dakota. At least 10 cars exploded and are burning. They should publish the destination of the cars so people will know the reach of these trains! They line up outside the Delaware City refinery; blew up in Lac Megantic, Ontario; Lynchburg, VA. We are all at risk!
Some coverage, with a snippet from each:
Crude oil train derails in North Dakota, residents evacuate town
“It’s all over the place,” Wells County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Janelle Pepple told the Daily News. “Thick, billowing black smoke; flames shooting 100 feet in the air. It’s a pretty spectacular-looking fire.”
North Dakota Town Evacuated After Train Derailment
North Dakota Town Evacuated After Oil Cars Derail And Catch Fire
Roehrich said she couldn’t get close enough to the train to see whether it was exploding or just burning. “It looks a lot like Casselton,” she said, referring to the fiery train wreck of oil tankers near Casselton in late 2013.
(with the admission that new cars don’t really matter)
BNSF said the tank cars that derailed were constructed under a 2011 voluntary rail industry standard intended to make them tougher than older cars that were long known to pose a safety risk. But the new cars have proved equally dangerous. The five major oil train accidents so far this year in the U.S. and Canada all involved the newer cars, each of which can hold about 30,000 gallons of fuel.
From KMSP:
A new MnDOT analysis released in March shows 326,170 Minnesotans live within the half-mile evacuation zones along state oil train routes.
This video was up on KMSP’s site, then disappeared, maybe it will come back: