Topic: Oil Trains

The "Delta Five" protesters, arrested for blocking oil trains at a BNSF rail yard, are granted the right to use the "necessity defense" in a Seattle court. This marks the first time an American court has allowed defendants to argue that their illegal actions were necessary to prevent the greater harm of climate change. The trial features testimony from rail safety experts and climatologists regarding the threats posed by fossil fuel transportation.

Following a crude oil train derailment in northern Illinois, one of the hosts recounts personal experience receiving specialized oil refinery fire training. The technical details of fighting petroleum fires—including the use of Scott Airpacks and specific "sweeping" hose techniques—are discussed to explain why local volunteer fire departments often struggle to contain such massive industrial accidents.

The Koch brothers have surprisingly joined Tesla in supporting a direct-to-consumer sales model, aligning with their libertarian principles. Meanwhile, an Al Jazeera investigation into oil train derailments in West Virginia and Canada reveals that Bakken crude is significantly more volatile than standard oil. The crude contains high levels of propane and butane, making it as flammable as gasoline and prone to massive explosions when transported in non-pressurized DOT-111 tankers.

The US has spent over $20 billion training Iraqi security forces, yet morale remains low and units are failing to replenish losses. In May 2014, the Pentagon notified Congress of a $1 billion sale of warplanes and surveillance equipment to Iraq, specifically to protect oil infrastructure. This suggests the military-industrial complex anticipated the current crisis and moved to profit from it through hardware sales and consulting contracts.

The train derailment and explosion in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, is analyzed as a potential catalyst for the Keystone XL pipeline approval. The hosts question how crude oil, which is typically non-explosive, could cause such a massive blast, suggesting the event may be used to argue that pipelines are safer than rail transport.