PORTLAND, Maine — The names of the 47 victims of the Lac-Megantic, Quebec, oil train explosion two years ago were read Monday afternoon at a remembrance here in Monument Square.
Fifteen activists from several groups, including the Maine chapter of the international environmental organization 350, used the occasion to call attention to the dangers of rail transport of crude oil.
Willow Femmechild is a volunteer with 350; speaking at the event, she pointed out the derailment of the crude oil train in Lac-Megantic was far from a one-time disaster.
"Since that time, there have been 10 other derailments and explosions, some in Canada, some in the United States," she says. "Fortunately, none of them so far has killed anyone else."
Lee Chisholm, a volunteer with 350, called for an end to reliance on fossil fuels.
"Like the driverless train accelerating toward the unsuspecting town of Lac-Megantic, our exploitation of fossil fuels has itself continued to accelerate notwithstanding that tragedy," he says.
Other vigils are also taking place today in the U.S. and Canada. The derailment in Lac-Megantic took place at 1:15 a.m. July 6, 2013.
