No Bomb Trains in Baltimore

Start: Wednesday, July 06, 201612:00 PM

On July 6, join us to

stop oil trains in Baltimore!  

On July 6, 2013, an oil train derailed and exploded in tragic Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, killing 47 people. This year the third annual Stop Oil Trains week of action will call attention to the threat of oil trains across North America, the people who are stopping them, and the need for 100% clean and safe energy.

Oil companies and government are making decisions on new oil train terminals at refineries across the country. But, wherever Big Oil tries to expand, communities across the US and Canada are  organizing, and winning. We’ve stopped new oil train terminals and fought to keep extreme oil in the ground -- for our health, our safety, and our climate.

Baltimore has a history of rail disasters and damaged infrastructure, and we need to take action to protect ourselves. Fifteen years ago, on July 18, 2001, a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed and caught fire in the Howard Street Tunnel, shutting down whole blocks of downtown for days. Three years ago, on May 28, 2013, a train hit a garbage truck and exploded in Rosedale, damaging surrounding buildings and prompting evacuations. Two years ago, on April 30, 2014, a retaining wall collapsed onto the very tracks used to transport oil trains. And just a month before the Week of Action, on April 13, 2016, a train carrying hazardous materials derailed at the northern end of the Howard Street Tunnel, on the very same tracks that oil trains use - placing the University of Baltimore, the Maryland Institute College of Art, the Meyerhoff, the light rail, and people's homes within the blast zone.

Our City Council has the opportunity to pass legislation to make sure we understand the risks and health hazards of oil train traffic through Baltimore, and city residents have been making their voices heard for over a year demanding action.

Let's #StopOilTrains together and show that clean, safe energy is 100% Possible right now! Join our rally and press conference on July 6 to tell our City Council and Mayor they must take action to protect Baltimore from bomb trains.