"Maine Rail Cargo Secrecy Law Bypassed Public Access, Safety Defenses"

"After a runaway oil train killed 47 people in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, just miles from the Maine border in 2013, Mainers demanded to know more about the state’s railways.

How much oil was moving through Maine? Which companies shipped it and along what routes? Was the government doing enough to keep communities safe?

At about the same time, the rail industry began its own campaign to keep much of that information secret, according to interviews and correspondence with regulators."

Dave Sherwood reports for the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting via the Bangor Daily News February 10, 2016.