ABC News Matt Hosford and Kate Barrett Report: A letter sent to the Secret Service on behalf of environment activist organizations Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth warns that President-elect Barack Obama's train trip to Washington, D.C. before the Jan. 20 inauguration is a far riskier mode of transport than his typical travels by plane, automobile or helicopter.
The letter states that the whistle-stop tour is vulnerable to attack due to the threat of hazardous chemicals and cargo along the east coast rail corridor. It also states that even if the President-elect is protected, lots of other folks would be in harm's way if there were an attack on a chemical facility along the route.
"This means that during a period of some days of heightened vulnerability to terrorism, Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden on this day will be highly visible and relatively approachable together on the difficult-to-protect Eastern Urban rail corridor," the letter states.
"Some of the more dangerous chemical facilities in the country are also in that corridor," Fred Millar, a Friends of the Earth consultant, told ABC News on Monday. Millar and his colleagues have been pushing hard since 9-11 to reroute hazardous cargo away from city centers.
For better security before and during Obama's inauguration, the groups are making suggestions such as shutting down the most dangerous high-pressure chemical operations and reducing on-site chemical storage.
"We will be urging Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden to re-consider their January 17 2009 plans, and to go ahead only with Inauguration-related activities in Washington DC which are demonstrably at a safe distance from potential massive industrial chemical threats," the letter said.
I'm surprised they didn't complain about all the coal-generated electricity the trains use on that route. I would have figured that was the first complaint they would have come up with.
I bet if you drilled down a bit you'd find out that's what's really buggin' them.
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