Jade Kurtzer at  Lac Megantic Memorial, July 2015, Fairfield, Maine
Channel: sari521
Date: 2015-07-13

On Saturday, July 11, 2015, SEEDs for Justice and 350 Waldo along with Forest Ethics sponsored an event in Fairfield, Maine to commemorate the 47 lives lost in Lac Mégantic, Canada when a train packed with toxic, fracked oil derailed and exploded in the heart of the town in 2013. Jade Kurtzer is a student at a school in Fairfield that is situated in what is considered a blast zone if ever the same situation occurred with an oil train there. Ten days before the disaster in Lac Méganic happened six people were arrested in Fairfield for blocking a train carrying the same type of oil carried by the train that derailed that fateful day in Canada. The text for Jade's speech is pasted below:

Hello, my name is Jade Kurtzer, I’m 13 years old and I go to Lawrence Junior High School. I’m here today because my school and at least two other schools are in something called the evacuation zone, which leaves us exposed and in danger if ever an oil train derails in Fairfield. Our schools may not be safe. This makes me scared for my life and others’. In 2013 my mom helped block an oil train from going through the tracks that are within walking distance from my school. She got arrested thinking she was just trying to help save the environment, but less than two weeks later an oil train derailed in Lac Megantic, Canada, and forty-seven people died. 

This happened because fracked oil, which is what that train was carrying, is different from regular oil, with a process of extraction that requires the use of harsh chemicals and produces a substance that is a lot thinner and more flammable than regular crude oil. Even though the companies responsible knew that the train cars carrying the oil weren’t safe or made to be transporting that type of fuel, they didn’t do anything to prevent this from happening. Instead they decided to be selfish, and keep their money for themselves while they risked the lives of others. 

The people who perished will never again get to feel loved or to love others, they will never get to hug the people that care about them, and they won’t get to comfort the ones who were hurt by their loss. The remains of many of the victims were never found either, so their families never got their closure. 

This makes me feel so disappointed by society, that we are so money hungry that we’re willing to put others’ lives in danger and not even care. It’s not just about the 47 people who died either, there were others who were injured too and their families have to pay the price. This isn’t fair, not just for the people who died and for their families, but also not fair for the people’s lives who continue to be put in danger.

This is why I feel that fossil fuels should stay in the ground where they belong; where they were made to be. And we need to stand up and stop oil trains from at the very least using cars that are not equipped to be carrying such explosive materials. I hope you’ll help us. Thank you.