Highways are more dangerous than oil trains

Trains are the lifeblood of this country. The U.S. was developed around the railroads. Many of the towns in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties are railroad towns.

I am always amazed by how media people “discover” things that have been around for centuries. “Heavy stuff” has been going by our doorsteps every day for years. Some of the chemical trains are far more dangerous than the few oil trains that pass.

It is hard to justify the hysteria over a minor addition of a siding to the existing Phillips 66 Nipomo oil refinery. If the oil trains don’t stop there, they will continue on through Nipomo to Los Angeles. Either way, they pass through San Luis Obispo and Nipomo. Do you want to stop them altogether? You may, but you cannot.

It is more dangerous to drive on Highway 101 than to have an oil train pass by. Do any of you naysayers realize how many megatrailers and gasoline trucks move up and down Highway 101 each day? They are far more volatile than any oil train. But there they are. Are they next in your delusions to stop oil development?

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 11:01 AM with the headline "Highways are more dangerous than oil trains."