Manatee County | Occupy World Writes

“The culprit is corporate greed, not a secret conspiracy.”

By Julia Conley. Published 2-28-2023 by Common Dreams

A train derailed in Manatee County, Florida on February 28, 2023.
(Photo: @djcalligraphy/Twitter)

Shortly after two progressive lawmakers unveiled legislation that would require more stringent federal regulations for trains carrying hazardous materials, a train carrying propane fuel through Manatee County, Florida derailed and made the latest case for far-reaching action, according to advocates.

Brittany Muller of WFLA News Channel 8reported that “one tanker carrying 30,000 gallons of propane has rolled off the tracks.”

South Manatee Fire Rescue was responding to the derailment, Muller said, in which at least six train cars had left the tracks. Continue reading →

“Federal officials need to clean up this mess the fertilizer industry has dumped on Florida communities and immediately halt further phosphogypsum production.”

By Jake Johnson, staff writer for Common Dreams. Published 4-5-2021

Florida’s Piney Point reservoir seen from an aerial view on Sunday, April 4, 2021. (Photo: 10 Tampa Bay/YouTube Screengrab)

Florida workers over the weekend rushed to prevent the collapse of a reservoir wall containing hundreds of millions of gallons of wastewater from a defunct phosphate mine, a looming environmental catastrophe that prompted mandatory evacuation orders and a declaration of emergency by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A leak in the Piney Point reservoir was first reported late last month, sparking fears of a complete breach and possible upending of stacks of phosphogypsum, a radioactive waste product of fertilizer manufacturing. During a briefing on Saturday, a public safety official for Florida’s Manatee County warned that “structural collapse” of the storage reservoir “could occur at any time.” Continue reading →

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Tag Archives: Manatee County

Florida Derailment Strengthens Case for Urgently Needed Railway Safety Proposal

“The culprit is corporate greed, not a secret conspiracy.”

‘EPA Needs to Step In’: Florida Workers Race to Prevent Massive Spill of Radioactive Waste

“Federal officials need to clean up this mess the fertilizer industry has dumped on Florida communities and immediately halt further phosphogypsum production.”