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Post Info TOPIC: Pendant ce temps au Québec déraillement de train et le feu
Uke


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Pendant ce temps au Québec déraillement de train et le feu
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Just talked with mntman down in Lincoln City, Oregon where he and Linda live. We talked about his article on railroads and fossil fuels, and their long history, and collusion... Yeah this one incident just huge!

Nobody, not one person can estimate the horror, nor the outcome from this incident... Nor is it over. First responders work will be done soon. But every one who was injured, or killed... All the homes, businesses destroyed... Recover? can they really ever feel normal, or safe again? I think not.

Meanwhile Ed Burkhart & Co. declares bankruptcy under Chapter 11 here, and in Canada as well. How will he sleep tonight? As he's done every night since July 6th... Just like a baby. Guilt free. After all it wasn't his fault.

http://www.rogerannis.com/death-train-in-quebec-a-story-of-rail-and-fossil-fuel-industry-g ">

http://www.rogerannis.com/death-train-in-quebec-a-story-of-rail-and-fossil-fuel-industry-g

 

Death train in Quebec: A story of rail and fossil fuel industry greed run amok

By Roger Annis

July 10, 2013In todays news coverage, we are beginning to see the full story of the oil-train disaster that occurred on the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway (MMAR) in Lac Mégantic, Quebec during the early hours of Saturday, July 6, 2013. Police now say more than 50 people died.

Here is an outline of the key issues that are emerging from the tragedy and requiring thorough public debate and action. Most of these issues are elaborated in the compilation of news articles below, consisting of eleven articles.

http://www.rogerannis.com/death-train-in-quebec-a-story-of-rail-and-fossil-fuel-industry-g">

http://www.rogerannis.com/death-train-in-quebec-a-story-of-rail-and-fossil-fuel-industry-g



-- Edited by Uke on Friday 9th of August 2013 08:17:30 PM

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I saw right away what kind of person Ed Burkhart was when
he came to the disaster site. I saw that Ed was confident that
he would come out OK despite all the loss. Bankruptcy....
who saw that coming. One bad MIR wreck and your railroad
files for bankruptcy and everybody finds new jobs. What a
MIR period this was.



-- Edited by The Krink on Saturday 10th of August 2013 12:55:59 AM

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Uke


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This just keeps getting worse. The people on the ground, the people of Lac-Megantic, and The Province of Quebec, and government of Canada are gonna be screwed by MM&A in the end. It's tu damn bad, but unavoidable at this point!

 

Montreal Maine Railway Files for Bankruptcy After Crash

 

Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway Ltd., the operator of the runaway oil train that exploded and killed 47 people in a Quebec town, said it was forced to file for bankruptcy because of potential liability from the crash.

Service will continue during the restructuring, the carrier said after yesterdays filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Bangor, Maine. An affiliated company, Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Canada Co., filed a petition in Canada, where the accident marked the countrys worst rail disaster since 1910.

Those moves were foreshadowed by Chairman Edward Burkhardt, who signaled last month that the railroads viability was in question. A criminal probe by Quebec authorities is under way, the town of Lac-Megantic is seeking financial aid to restore the gutted community and a civil complaint alleges a failure to take steps to prevent the derailment.

This announcement does not mean that MM&A is off the hook for their responsibilities to the people of Lac-Megantic, Ashley Kelahear, a spokeswoman for Canadian Transport Minister Lisa Raitt, said in an e-mail. We will work with the Province of Quebec to ensure that the cleanup continues and that the people of Lac-Megantic continue to receive the support they need.

Quebec Superior Court Justice Martin Castonguay granted the companys Canadian unit creditor protection today, Pierre Legault, a Montreal-based lawyer who represents the railroad, said in a telephone interview. A hearing has been set for Aug. 23, Canadas RDI television reported.

Obligations, Assets

Shortly after 1 a.m. on July 6, the 73-car train crashed near the center of the town of 5,932 people about 16 kilometers (10 miles) north of Maine. A wall of flames 12 stories high incinerated buildings in Lac-Megantics center.

The obligations of both companies now exceed the value of their assets, including prospective insurance recoveries, as a direct result of the tragic derailment, Burkhardt said yesterday in a statement referring to Hermon, Maine-based Montreal, Maine & Atlantic and its affiliated Canadian business.

The train had been left unattended for the night outside Lac-Megantic, and Canadian investigators with the Transportation Safety Board found that the brakes werent applied with enough force to stop the cars from rolling during the incident.

Montreal, Maine & Atlantic was sued July 22 in state court in Chicago, along with Burkhardt and several fuel companies, over the rail disaster. Burkhardt is the chief executive of the carriers parent company, Rail World Inc., based in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois.

Claims from the disaster are sufficiently large that it would be impossible or impractical to continue as a going concern without the protection of U.S. bankruptcy law, Montreal, Maine & Atlantic railroad said in its filing.

Under U.S. law, a bankruptcy filing by a company halts lawsuits by creditors seeking to collect on claims.

Given the dramatically reduced cash flow and increase in liabilities, a bankruptcy filing is the only option to preserve the value of the system, the company said in court papers.

Career Railroader

Burkhardt, the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic chairman, founded parent Rail World in 1999 after a railroading career that included the formation of Wisconsin Central Transportation Corp. in 1987.

He made his name by turning unprofitable castoffs into successful businesses. Wisconsin Central was created from lines that Soo Line Railroad deemed unprofitable in the wake of the U.S. rail industrys 1980 deregulation. In the 1990s, Burkhardt expanded the companys international reach by helping privatize freight rail networks in New Zealand and the U.K.

In 1999, he was pushed out at Wisconsin Central after a 60 percent stock-price decline over a 2 1/2-year period, and he formed Rail World in the same month. Rail World created Montreal, Maine & Atlantic after buying the assets of bankrupt Bangor & Aroostook Railroad Co. in early 2003.

Cleanup Order

Montreal Maine & Atlantic and its Canadian unit were among the parties targeted by an emergency decontamination order issued July 29 by Quebecs environment minister to clean up oil from the crash.

Miami-based World Fuel Services Corp. (INT) and Western Petroleum Co. of Eden Prairie, Minnesota owned, and continue to own, the crude spilled at Lac-Megantic, according to the government order.

Lac-Megantic had to pay about C$8 million to eight contractors hired by the railroad to clean up the spilled crude because the carrier hadnt paid for the work, Mayor Roy-Laroche said July 30 at a televised news conference. Letters demanding payment sent by Lac-Megantics lawyers remained unanswered as of last week, the mayor said at the time.

The bankruptcy case is In re Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway, 1:13-bk-10670, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Maine (Bangor). The lawsuit is Roy v. Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway, 2013-LOO8272, Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois (Chicago).

(At this point, nothing is certain concerning the above articles. The only certainty is that MM&A has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection in the United States, and Canada).



-- Edited by Uke on Sunday 11th of August 2013 02:21:13 PM

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The more ya read, the more ya learn about this disaster. A timeline about Lac Megantic, Quebec, Canada:
www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/timeline-lac-megantic/">www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/timeline-lac-megantic/

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The Krink wrote:

 Bankruptcy....
who saw that coming. One bad MIR wreck and your railroad
files for bankruptcy and everybody finds new jobs. What a
MIR period this was.



-- Edited by The Krink on Saturday 10th of August 2013 12:55:59 AM


 I really hope that the courts on both sides of the border, goes after the parent companies, Railworld inc, and desert plain I think. This is a scam

 



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http://www.theprovince.com/business/a9gantic+tragedy+ordered+cease+operating+Canada/8783120/story.html

These shortline operators have the smoke and mirrors game down pretty well. Experts at "restructuring and privatization"

http://railworld-inc.com/RailWorldInc.htm 

 



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The very latest (as of two days ago...) on the MM&A Lac-Megantic crash disaster:

 

J.D. Irving eyeing railway involved in Lac-Mégantic crash

Posted: Aug 19, 2013 12:47 PM ET

Last Updated: Aug 19, 2013 5:09 PM ET

The Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway needs money to clean up the site of last month's disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Que.The Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway needs money to clean up the site of last month's disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Que. (Canadian Press)

The transportation subsidiary of East Coast conglomerate Irving has been in discussions with government authorities about a possible acquisition of the railway involved in last month's deadly train crash in Lac-Mégantic, Que.

J.D. Irving vice-president Mary Keith said its NB&M Railways unit is assessing its options, but has not made any offer for Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Canada Railway.

Keith said the company, which has track in Maine and New Brunswick, wants to sustain rail links that are vital to its manufacturing operations in New Brunswick.

MMA head Edward Burkhardt has welcomed news that the railway can continue to operate until Oct. 1, saying he will be able to raise more cash when he sells the railway's assets.

Burkhardt said the money is needed to clean up the site of last month's disaster and meet its obligations to creditors, including Lac-Mégantic residents who have sued the railway.

The Canadian Transportation Agency announced late Friday that it would extend MM&As certificate of operation until Oct. 1. A decision earlier in the week to suspend its right to operate was reversed because the federal regulator determined that the railway had sufficient liability insurance to operate in the short-term.

Burkhardt said the railway hopes to continue providing freight services in Quebec and the Maritimes.

Ultimately the railway will be sold for the benefit of the creditors, and it is worth considerably more as a 'going concern' than if it were to be shut down, he said in an email statement.

The major creditors are the Province of Quebec and residents of Lac-Mégantic, and achieving the best sale price will be beneficial to them. We will be working with the court appointed monitor and the U.S. Trustee in developing the sale process."

Last week MM&A was granted creditor protection in Canada and bankruptcy protection in the United States.

The rail company faces a criminal investigation, as well as several lawsuits, in connection with the July 6 derailment of train cars carrying crude oil that wiped out part of the Quebec town of Lac-Mégantic and killed 47 people.

As it attempts to resolve its affairs, MM&A will be seeking a buyer for its Canadian operations, which are primarily in New Brunswick and Quebec.

Irving Oil Ltd., which had to reroute its rail shipments of western crude oil to its Saint John refinery following the Lac-Mégantic train derailment, is among the defendants in a lawsuit by Lac-Mégantic residents.

NB&M Rail is one of MM&A Canada's largest unsecured creditors with a claim of $2.35 million against the company.



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More news from Quebec concerning Lac Megantic...

(Meanwhile in Quebec train derailment and fire)

 

Quebec pledges $16 million to Lac-Mégantic for rebuilding downtown

Posted: Aug 26, 2013 1:58 PM ET

Last Updated: Aug 26, 2013 8:21 PM ET

The Quebec government has pledged $16 million for the reconstruction of Lac-Mégantic's devastated downtown, after the July 6 train derailment and explosion that claimed the lives of 47 people and destroyed dozens of buildings.

At a news conference in Lac-Mégantic today, Quebec Premier Pauline Marois said the rebuilding would include the construction of a bridge across the Chaudière River and a memorial park in commemoration of the disaster.

The mayor of Lac-Mégantic, Colette Roy-Laroche, said construction work will begin September 15, with plans to have a new commercial area functioning by the end of December.

"With our resources alone we would not be able to achieve what we had in mind," said Roy-Laroche.

Roy-Laroche said the financial assistance will help the approximately 100 businesses affected by the disaster relocate to a expanded commercial area in the city's so-called green-zone.

The mayor said the red-zonethe area most contaminated by the explosionwould likely not be accessible to the public until June 2014, nearly one year after the disaster.

Marois said the $16 million contribution would be part of the $60 million initially promised by the provincial government in July.



-- Edited by Uke on Tuesday 27th of August 2013 01:04:37 PM

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Well some of the damage-reports of this railroad disaster are coming
in now. If you can locate the CBC TV "The National" news report for
Tuesday night Sept 17 2013, they had a great story on it. To add to
the misery of this community, the whole sewer system needs to be
re-done.

Lac-Mégantic an 'environmental disaster,' says expert

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/lac-m%C3%A9gantic-an-environmental-disaster-says-expert-1.1858090



-- Edited by The Krink on Wednesday 18th of September 2013 12:55:50 AM

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