Could a Chemical Spill Happen in Billings Like it Did in Ohio? [OPINION]

 Train Derailment Chemical Spill in Ohio  

We’ve all seen the sad news on newspapers, TV news stations and now Reddit regarding the chemical spill after a train was derailed in Palestine, Ohio. This caused a huge uproar in Ohio’s community and it’s leaving people wondering if this exact tragedy could happen in Billings. The chemicals spilled are very toxic and have been poisoning the air, the water, and the soil in surrounding cities of Ohio. One woman in Lima, Ohio went out to her chicken coop, and all the chickens were dead... 

Billings Reddit thread Reactions 

Someone started the conversation on this platform asking:

“Could what happened in East Palestine Ohio happen here? Scary to think about, what are the odds of a train derailment happening here in town? I don't know much about the railway industry.” 

It’s a great question and many people from Billings gave their opinions regarding this topic.  

Reddit User WomanBorePinecone: “It could, but most of what goes through Billings is oil and coal. Still quite hazardous, just not as bad as the chemicals in the Ohio spill.” 

Reddit User GromainRosjean: "Have a look at the 2018 Husky Refinery Fire in Superior, Wisconsin. Much of the fire was allowed to burn freely while resources were focused on protecting Hydrogen Sulfide tanks on the site. A failure of one of those tanks would have killed tens of thousands. Disasters like that and Ohio are uncomfortable glimpse into how the sausage is made.” 

Reddit User BreakingCupcakes: “There was a minor derailment in the early 2000s, near downtown/the south side. I was playing at my friend’s house on the other side of the block. My dad ran from our house to their house, got me, and made me run home with him. I guess it was nothing serious but he was always a paranoid/conspiracy guy.” 

 Speculation and paranoia run rampant in this country, but we deserve answers.  

 But I think we deserve explanations as to why this was handled so poorly in Ohio. Americans want answers and better practices when it comes to toxic waste clean up. We can't just put a band-aid on the cleanup process... this takes time and money. These corporations don't use their billions of dollars to handle these situations correctly. 

This huge news story was pretty hush hush for a couple weeks before the stories came out. Here in Billings, there are portions of this city where the soil and water are contaminated due to chemicals from dry cleaning facilities, and other poor practices regarding toxic waste/ spills. 

Corporations run the world... 

It’s true. Nothing political about that statement either. Giant corporations are known for cutting costs to get our “stuff” to us quickly, cutting corners where there needs to be more time, money and awareness regarding these disasters like in Ohio. Burning the chemicals seems like a very bad idea... my heart goes out to those affected by this insanity.