• MARITIME CHALLENGESDecrease in Rainfall in Central America Could Cut Off the Panama Canal

    By Dirk Kaufmann

    To see the economic consequences of global warming look no further than the Panama Canal. There, water levels are down because of less rain in Central America. Experts fear ordinary consumers may end up paying the price.

  • U.S. RAILThe True Dangers of Long Trains

    By Dan Schwartz and Topher Sanders, with additional reporting by Gabriel Sandoval and Danelle Morton

    Trains are getting longer. Railroads are getting richer. But these “monster trains” are jumping off of tracks across America and regulators are doing little to curb the risk.Some trains stretch for 2 or even 3 miles, sometimes without regard for the delicate physics of keeping heavy, often combustible tanker cars from jumping off the tracks.

  • CHEMICAL SPILLSA Spill Outside Philadelphia Adds to the Growing List of Chemical Accidents This Year

    By Max Graham

    There have already been 50 chemical spills or fires in the U.S. this year, and it’s only March.

  • EXTREMISMExtremists Co-opt Norfolk Southern Train Derailment in East Palestine, Ohio

    In the aftermath of the February 3, 2023, freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, a range of misinformation and unfounded claims has emerged as extremists and conspiracy theorists leverage the event for their own political and ideological gain.

  • RAIL SAFETYIn a Growing Petrochemical Hub, the East Palestine Derailment Triggers “an Uneasy Feeling”

    By Eve Andrews

    The Upper Ohio River Valley has been layered in industrial pollution for centuries, and residents are fed up.

  • RAIL SECURITYCan You Tell Whether a “Bomb Train” Is Coming to Your Town? It’s Complicated.

    By John McCracken

    This information about trains carrying hazardous materials is out there, but it is not always readily accessible. With the derailment of the Norfolk Southern train receiving international attention, more railroad communities are now asking what is traveling through their backyard, and how to avoid the fate of East Palestine, Ohio.

  • RAIL SAFETYOhio Chemical Spill Draws Focus on Railroad Dangers

    By Alistair Walsh

    The U.S. has one of the most extensive rail networks in the world, but diminishing safety standards puts people and the environment at risk. The latest accident has drawn sharp focus onto the safety standards of the highly profitable freight rail industry and its prolific lobbying against regulation.

  • RAIL SAFETYThe Train Derailment in Ohio Was a Disaster Waiting to Happen

    By John McCracken

    The derailment of a freight train filled with volatile chemicals in rural Ohio earlier this month captured the headlines, but researchers and chemical spill experts say it’s a situation that plays out far too often across the country. Trains carry hazardous chemicals everyday. They’re also dangerously unregulated.

  • HAZARDOUS MATERIALTrain Derailments Get More Headlines, but Truck Crashes Involving Hazardous Chemicals Are More Frequent and Deadly in U.S.

    By Michael F. Gorman

    Highway crash of hazmat-carrying trucks do not draw national attention the way train derailments do, or trigger a flood of calls for more trucking regulation like the U.S. is seeing for train regulation. Truck crashes tend to be local and less dramatic than a pile of derailed train cars on fire, even if they’re deadlier. Federal data shows that rail has had far fewer incidents, deaths and damage when moving hazardous materials in the U.S. than trucks.

  • HAZARDOUS MATERIALSHow Dangerous Was the Ohio Chemical Train Derailment? An Environmental Engineer Assesses the Long-Term risks

    By Andrew J. Whelton

    Headaches and lingering chemical smells from a fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, have left residents worried about their air and water – and misinformation on social media hasn’t helped. The slow release of information after the derailment has left many questions unanswered about the risks and longer-term impact.

  • HAZARDOUS MATERIALSTrain Cars Which Derailed in Ohio Were Labeled Non-Hazardous

    By John McCracken

    Nearly two weeks after a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in rural Ohio, questions still linger about the lasting effects of the incident and the speed at which residents were returned to their homes. What we do know is that the train cars were marked as non-hazardous, and thus officials weren’t notified that the train would be crossing through the state.

  • SUPPLY CHAINSExpanding America’s Marine Highways 

    The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded $12.6 million in grants to nine marine highway projects across the United States, saying the  under the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP). DOT says that the funding will help address supply chain disruptions, enhance the movement of goods along the U.S. navigable waterways, and expand existing waterborne freight services.

  • Hazardous MaterialsCooking Material-Storage Containers to Assess Fire Safety

    Researchers have completed a series of tests on specially designed stainless-steel containers used by the Department of Energy for storage and transportation of hazardous materials. Even at 2000 degrees, the sealed, stainless-steel containers did not split open.

  • Transporting AmmoniaSecuring Transportation of Ammonia

    Ammonia is used in many cleaning products, and it also fertilizes most of the U.S. agricultural crops. It will soon be used as emission free green fuel to power ships. With all of the many benefits, there are risks as well, as ammonia is the most produced and widely distributed toxic inhalation hazard chemical in the United States. If released in large quantities, it poses a significant risk to life and the health of those exposed.

  • Supply chain securityWhy You Should Expect More Suez-Like Supply Chain Disruptions and Shortages at Your Local Grocery Store

    By Nada R. Sanders

    When the Ever Given container ship choked off traffic in the Suez Canal for almost a week in late March 2021, it made big headlines around the world. Yet many people I spoke with, including students and professional colleagues, didn’t seem to have a clue about what was happening, why it mattered or how it affects them.