The Big Story 

A crash in Houston just weeks after a devastating Ohio derailment is intensifying concerns about compounded threats posed by such wrecks.

© WKBN

An 18-wheeler struck a Union Pacific freight train in Houston on Monday, killing the truck driver and knocking the train off its tracks. The incident followed another crash earlier this month that spilled toxic chemicals outside the town of East Palestine, Ohio. 

Officials maintained that the cargo involved in the Houston crash didn’t contain any materials formally listed as hazardous, according to Houston Public Media.

At the same time, a Union Pacific spokesperson told the NPR affiliate the crash did release 100 gallons of diesel, which is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) due to its high sulfur content. 

Local authorities said “household chemicals” intended “for retail purposes” were also on board.

In the case of the wreck that occurred Feb. 3 in Ohio, the materials on board were potentially deadly.

Five of the train cars carried vinyl chloride, a combustible precursor to the plastic PVC that — when burned — converts to the lethal gas phosgene, famously used in World War I gas attacks.

But another 15 derailed cars also carried hazardous materials, according to information rail company Norfolk Southern provided to the EPA.

The EPA found that chemicals spilled from the wreck “were entering storm drains.”  

Those sewers lead through local waterways to the Ohio River. Water managers in downstream towns like Cincinnati began watching for an incoming chemical plume.

The pair of recent crashes — including one on the doorstep of a major chemical and petroleum refining hub — have underscored the risks posed by train derailments.

While trains remain among the safest forms of transporting freight, about 1,700 trains derail per year on average — more than four per day.

Over the course of 2022, there were 18 derailments involving trains carrying hazardous materials, USA Today reported.  

The share of trains in the broader category of hazmat crashes also appears to be increasing. USA Today found that while trains have accounted for just 1 in 10 hazmat wrecks over the past decade, they made up 1 in 4 such incidents in 2022.

Welcome to The Hill’s Sustainability newsletter, we’re Saul Elbein and Sharon Udasin — every week we follow the latest moves in the growing battle over sustainability in the U.S. and around the world.

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Essential Reads 

Latest news impacting sustainability this week and beyond:

Five lingering questions over Ohio train derailment, toxic spill

California’s lower-income communities enduring more frequent wildfires: study

California could see wildflower ‘super bloom’ this spring

Newsom signs order to protect California’s water supply from extreme weather

‘Time is of the essence’ 

© Greg Nash, The Hill

Keeping the Colorado River flowing will require concessions from seven sparring states — but Congress may have the financial mobility to help get them there, according to Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.). 

“We are working in a bipartisan fashion at this point,” Hickenlooper told The Hill. “There’s a recognition that a lot of people’s livelihoods are at stake, and there’s a real urgency.” 

Hickenlooper is at the helm of the new Colorado River Caucus — a cohort of senators from both sides of the aisle who intend to help the states agree on consumption cutbacks.

• Members of the group include representatives from all seven Colorado River states: California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Wyoming.
  
  
• “I think that we still have an opportunity,” Hickenlooper said. “Time is of the essence, but I think the best solution would be a seven-state solution.” 

Tensions are high: Negotiations among the states have been taking place for months, following calls from the Bureau of Reclamation for additional conservation. 

• The states agreed to a new target date of Jan. 31 — aware that the Bureau could impose cuts itself if they again failed to do so.
   
• What ended up materializing were two competing proposals: a joint deal from six out of the seven states and a separate offer from California. 

Coming together: “That doesn’t mean we should walk away,” Hickenlooper said. “That’s part of what our Colorado River Caucus in the U.S Senate is all about — trying to find that elusive compromise that everybody can get behind.” 

Read the full story here.

Special protections 

© Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance via AP

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is facing a lawsuit threat over its failure to protect an animal rarely seen in U.S. rivers and woodlands: the common hippopotamus.

A group of conservation nonprofits petitioned the agency last March to extend “endangered species” status to the large aquatic mammals. 

Radio silence: Though the agency was required to respond within 90 days, nearly a year has passed with nothing, an alliance of conservation groups said on Wednesday. 

The Center for Biological Diversity wrote in a filing on Wednesday that it would sue the Department of the Interior if it did not respond promptly to last year’s request. 

Renegade river horse: As natives of sub-Saharan Africa, hippos are rarely associated with the Americas, outside of zoos.  

There are some key exceptions: A botched attempt to introduce them to the U.S. Southeast and a renegade colony descended from cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar’s private menagerie. 

Hippos need help: As hippo populations weather significant decline, they need more protection from the U.S. government, according to a report last year from the Center for Biological Diversity. 

U.S. federal policy — and the fact that it doesn’t give endangered species protections to hippos — nonetheless impacts them, advocates said. 

Taking responsibility: The U.S. is the top global importer of hippo trophies, parts and products, Adam Peyman, wildlife programs director for Humane Society International, said in a statement. 

“The United States government can no longer ignore its responsibility and the critical role it can play in curbing legal trade in hippo parts,” Peyman added.

In Other News 

Branch out with different reads from The Hill:

Frustration builds over response to Ohio train derailment as officials urge patience

The cleanup process after the derailment and explosion of a train carrying hazardous chemicals in Ohio is sparking frustration among locals and environmentalists, who worry the state and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) response has been insufficient and confusing. 

Hazmat spill on Arizona highway spurs evacuation, shelter-in-place orders

A crash involving a commercial truck tractor pulling a box trailer in Arizona has caused a hazmat spill that has shut down part of a highway and required residents nearby to evacuate or shelter in place.  

What Others are Reading 

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Brrr! Ice plunges may be a cool trend, but are there health benefits?

The coolest thing on social media these days may be celebrities and regular folks plunging into frigid water or taking ice baths. The touted benefits include improved mood, more energy, weight loss and reduced inflammation, but the science supporting some of those claims is lukewarm. Read more

Barriers often keep Black community from seeking help for mental health

All ethnicities and cultures experience mental health conditions, but according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, only one in three Black adults who need mental health care actually receive it. Read more

What People Think 

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