Justin Mikulka and Steve Horn Posts

Rail companies are fighting the push to regulate unsafe oil cars transporting crude from shale deposits in North Dakota. While industry pushback is expected, their novel excuse isn't – bin Laden and terrorism.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe recently said it would proceed with plans to increase speeds for oil-by-rail unit trains in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, to 60 MPH from 30 MPH, despite opposition from local officials. The announcement came merely a week after the Obama Administration announced its proposed regulations for trains carrying oil obtained via fracking from the state's Bakken Shale basin.

When the Dean Emeritus of NYU Law School introduced Howard Shelanski at his only public appearance so far during his tenure as Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), Revesz described Shelanski as, “from our perspective, close to the most important official in the federal government.” OIRA has recently reared its head in a big way because it is currently reviewing the newly-proposed oil-by-rail safety regulations rolled out by the Department of Transportation and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.