Fruitland derailment reminder of infrastructure needs

It was troubling to see another train derailment happen on Friday in Fruitland, just south of Muscatine. I have friends in the area. Fortunately, this particular train was not carrying any hazardous or explosive materials.

I for one was worried to find out that large amounts of crude oil from North Dakota are currently being shipped by rail though our state, and throughout the Midwest to refineries. If you follow the news, you would notice derailments of this nature becoming more prevalent.

We need to take a serious look at infrastructure upgrades in this country, which includes energy infrastructure. I would feel much more comfortable shipping these resources through modern pipelines, and safer alternatives, instead of running it through our communities on trains.