Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is opposing a proposal that could allow a hazardous chemical to be transported by rail through Illinois.
Raoul is one of 14 attorneys general to object to a Texas company’s request to transport a refrigerant, cryogenic liquefied ethane, from a facility in Pennsylvania to undisclosed locations around the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Raoul says ethane is a colorless, odorless, and highly flammable gas – and if there were any release of it, it would create an extremely cold and very flammable vapor cloud that would jeopardize anyone in its vicinity.
Raoul says regulations currently don’t allow for the transportation of ethane by rail, and the company has offered no data to support its request.
