President Obama’s obstruction of the Keystone XL Pipeline is taking a toll on people who live within a mile or two of rail lines. Twice in the last three days trains carrying crude oil from areas that Keystone would safely serve have exploded in fireballs, forcing evacuations, polluting waters, burning houses, and terrorizing residents. Reuters reports:

A CSX Corp train hauling North Dakota crude derailed in West Virginia on Monday, setting a number of cars ablaze, destroying a house and forcing the evacuation of two towns in the second significant oil-train incident in three days.

One or two of the cars plunged into the Kanawha River, said Robert Jelacic of the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

CSX said the train was hauling 109 cars from North Dakota to the coastal town of Yorktown, Virginia, where midstream firm Plains All American Pipelines runs an oil depot. It said one person was being treated for potential inhalation of fumes. No other injuries or deaths were reported.

Note that the oil being transported by rail was destined for export. Critics of Keystone claim that it should not be built because some of the oil would be exported. Aside from the illogic of opposing exports (which generate jobs and reduce the amount of foreign indebtedness the United States incurs because of our trade deficit), the question becomes moot given that oil already is being exported, but transported by inherently more dangerous rail already.

The other current derailment took place in Canada:

The latest incident came just two days after a Canadian National Railways train from Alberta's oil sands derailed in a wooded area of northern Ontario. CN said 29 of 100 cars were involved and seven caught fire. No injuries were reported, but the cars were still on fire on Monday.

Where are the greenies decrying the despoilment of pristine wilderness? Apparently they don’t really care, at last those who oppose Keystone.

If, as promised, President Obama vetoes the extension of Keystone, he will guarantee that more ecological; and human tragedies occur along rail lines.