Car buyers may be left waiting for a long-awaited new vehicle, deliveries will be a mess, and cows will need to have their feed rationed. But much worse than all of this—and much more—would be the impact on the environment. That is, in the event of a major rail strike.
Such a strike would be a catastrophe for the energy industry, and hit consumers in the wallet. They’d have to pay tons more for gas, electricity, and natural gas, too. Refineries would be in danger of being shut down if they are unable to get deliveries, plus they’d be in trouble with shipping their products, when it must go by rail.
As per the aforesaid ill effects on the environment, imagine having flammable chemicals just sitting on the railroad tracks should a strike occur. The railroads began to address these concerns on Monday. That is when they began the process of stopping shipment of hazardous materials. The hope is that any possible dangers will be prevented.
Propane Shipped by Rail
By the way, some 300,000 barrels of crude oil are shipped by rail, every day, only enough for two medium-sized refineries, according to the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM). Then there are the 5 million barrels of propane, moved monthly by rail. That represents a third of U.S. propane consumption.
Note that some 70 percent of U.S.-produced ethanol, comprises a tenth of this country’s gasoline volume. That’s according to S&P Global Commodity Insights. The group also said that 75 percent of the coal bound for electric utilities in the first half of 2022, was moved by rail.
