Federal regulators to review Maine tracks
Federal regulators will review Maine's rail infrastructure that transports oil in the wake of a Quebec crash that officials estimate killed around 50 people.
U.S. Reps. Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree pushed for the review in a letter to the Federal Railroad Administration. The call for greater review also comes as oil shipments through the state have increased dramatically since 2011, according to the Portland Press Herald, and the tariff-supported fund for oil spill cleanups has dwindled because of lower fees paid by shipping companies and lawmakers' decisions to use those funds for other purposes.
Officials believe the crash along the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway line in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec resulted from an engineer's failure to apply some of the train's hand brakes before leaving the train unattended overnight, according to The Globe and Mail.
The Associated Press reported Gov. Paul LePage issued an executive order earlier this week calling for the state's Department of Transportation to review rail line safety.
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