FIRST, A BULLETIN FROM THOSE GUARDIANS OF OUR FUTURE ON THE POLITICAL RIGHT:

From an Aug. 8 DeSmogBlog.com piece by Justin Mikulka and Steve Horn, this reassuring bulletin: “Rail CEOs to Investors: ‘Bomb Trains’ Safe At Almost Any Speed.”

Almost any speed!? No problemo, compadres, put the pedal to the metal and keep that oil and money flowing! This great country wasn’t built by the spineless!

“Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) recently said it would proceed with plans to increase speeds for oil-by-rail unit trains in Devil’s Lake, N.D., to 60 mph from 30 mph, despite opposition from local officials.” Gutsy, that — the spirit that created this great country! Sort of a “Hey, let’s stop this lollygagging and move this oil along; we need to at least double the speed at which we get this stuff to the refineries!”

But why not triple it? Time is money — and what the hell does speed have to do with safety?

“BNSF’s announcement came merely a week after the Obama administration announced its proposed regulations for trains carrying oil obtained via hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) from North Dakota’s Bakken shale basin.”

The rail industry’s position on speed limits for “bomb trains” is simple: They repeatedly claim velocity has nothing to do with oil-by-rail accidents or safety. That certainly settles that problem; environmentalists, for once just sit back, shut up and enjoy the train ride!

“For example, Big Rail — as revealed by DeSmogBlog — lobbied against all proposed oil train speed reductions in its dozen or so private meetings at the Obama White House before the unveiling of the proposed oil-by-rail regulations.

“‘We think (30 mph speed limits) would … severely limit our ability to provide reliable freight service to our customers,’ Michael Ward, chairman, president and CEO of CSX, stated on the company’s call.

“Unmentioned by Ward: CSX’s oil train that exploded in Lynchburg and spilled into the James River was rolling along at 24 mph, below the 30-mph limit he advocated against on the call. And if it had been traveling 60 mph and blew in the center of the city?!

“In addition to expectations that the new final regulations will be watered down to make them industry friendly, Railway Age Contributing Editor Jason H. Seidl introduced the term ‘dwell time’ as the proposed new focus for the rail industry regarding oil train speeds near populated areas.

“‘The consensus opinion seemed to be that enforcing broad speed restrictions may not be the right approach,’ Seidl also stated on the call.

“The panelists indicated that emphasis should be placed on reducing the total time that High Hazard Flammable Trains (HHFTs) spend in populated areas, and slower trains do just the opposite. Additionally, reduced train speeds would require more cars and detrimentally impact the supply chain, potentially resulting in higher dwell times in populated areas.”

Paraphrased, then: Speed is not the issue for Big Rail; rather, the issue is the time it takes for the oil train to pass through a community. So why the hell not jack it up to 90 mph and clear the town really fast? Hey, slow speed is the big problem! And that curve in Davis? Step up your speed, clear it fast and no problem!

Even if you derail, with that momentum built in you’re way past downtown before the explosion! It’s a safety measure!

However, as previously reported on DeSmogBlog, even rail industry insiders admit speed limits are a major factor for improving rail safety. Oops! What’s this?

“Gregory Saxton, chief engineer for rail tank manufacturer Greenbriar, made this clear at a National Transportation Safety Board conference on oil-by-rail safety in April.

“‘Kinetic energy is related to the square of velocity. So if you double the speed, you have four times as much energy to deal with,’ Saxton argued. ‘Speed is a big deal.’” (I would suggest that all spend more than a passing glance at that reality. Do we not also already know from our own experience the additional force on a curve generated by speed? Oh, hell, reality again.)

In another fascinating piece from Desmogblog by Steve Horn, we find highlighted the valiant stand by Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter to release the cold, unfeeling hands of a small club of environmentally focused billionaires from the throat of the oil industry.

On July 30, the Republican minority of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, headed by Sen. Vitter, released a report titled, “The Chain of Environmental Command: How a Club of Billionaires and Their Foundations Control the Environmental Movement and Obama’s EPA.”

In a clearly unjustified counterattack, those unhappy with the House report came back with the following: Critics of Vitter’s report say it is propaganda designed to skewer the Obama EPA and environmental philanthropists for “conspiring to help the environment,” adding that “Vitter’s chief source of campaign cash is the oil and gas industry and he recently called the billionaire Koch Brothers ‘two of the most patriotic Americans in the history of the Earth.’”

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, David and Charles Koch … need one say more? But in the history of the Earth?! Well, then, I guess that is a bit more, but why be parsimonious in the face of such incredible nobility?

By the way, a brief update on a related issue: Earlier this year, according to a report in DailyKos, the “IFG concluded that, based on public records, the Koches held at least 2 million acres of leased tar sands land, more than any other company. Subsequently, additional research by the organization confirmed 1.1 million acres in Koches’ hands in Alberta, the most of any American or foreign corporation. That is more than 1,700 square miles. Vast by any definition.” Try matching that kind of patriotism!

Surely, Vitter suggests, limits must be placed on what is acceptable in the attempts to tarnish the contributions to our society of men of such stature, accomplishment and unselfishness. Indeed, from Vitter’s vantage point, there appears to be no limit on what those “so-called environmentalists” are willing to invent to achieve their questionable ends.

What the 92-page report does leave out is that Vitter — himself an esteemed member of the Senate “Millionaires Club” — owns tens of thousands of dollars in stock of the electric utility Wisconsin Energy Corporation (We Energies), which owns major coal-fired power plants in both Oak Creek and Pleasant Prairie, Wisc.

“Living the dream” — that’s David, and more power to him for his willingness to continue his gallant battle in Congress for our God-given right to pursue that blessed dollar without fear of an interfering pack of government bureaucrats or hysterical environmentalists!

Jerome Page is a Benicia resident.