Railroad Safety a Concern in Northern US

North Dakota is the second largest oil-producing American state, after Texas. Companies remove about one million barrels of crude, unprocessed, oil from the Bakken Formation every day. The formation -- an area filled with shale and other rocks -- covers parts of western North Dakota and eastern Montana.

Much of the crude oil leaves the area by train. But several accidents have raised concerns about the method of transportation and the oil itself.

Last July, a train pulling 72 tank cars wrecked in the Canadian town of Lac Megantic. The wreck caused an explosion and fire that killed 47 people.

The crude oil in the tank cars came from the Bakken formation. Several accidents since then have raised concerns about the explosive nature of Bakken crude oil. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently ordered shippers to test Bakken oil to make sure it is correctly identified before shipping.

But several studies have found that Bakken oil is no more dangerous than other U.S. oil. Jeff Hume is vice chairman of Continental Resources, an oil production company.

“From what we tested and what we have gotten, it fits the specifications that FIMSA has today for the rail cars that we are shipping it in. So under today’s rules, we are moving it in a proper container.”

About 70 percent of North Dakota and Montana crude oil is transported by train. Kari Cutting is vice president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council. She says shippers and producers are following government rules.

“All of those federal regulations that have been followed by Bakken, since we started producing Bakken, as far as classifying it, putting it in rail cars, moving it safely, all of the things that the shippers and producers have to do before it goes into that railcar, all of those rules were followed.”

The safety concerns about rail transportation have shown the need for more oil pipelines. But North Dakota State University Economist Dean Bangsund says oil pipelines are in short supply.

“A big issue in the state right now is the lack of pipeline capacity, and that the pipeline capacity to take the crude oil out of the state ends up with large price discounts. So the industry is now moving, to moving crude oil out of the state by rail.”

The proposed Keystone XL Pipeline would connect pipes from Canada to the southern United States. Under the plan, 100,000 barrels of Bakken crude oil would flow each day to a proposed link in the town of Baker, Montana.

Dean Bangsund talks about the proposal.

“Some of the crude that’s coming through our existing pipelines would be moved into that, therefore displacing and adding existing capacity to some of the pipelines we already have in place.”

But concerns about the environmental risks of the Keystone XL pipeline have delayed the plan. The price of shipping crude oil by rail usually costs more than pipelines. But some companies still like that method because trains can reach more oil processing centers than existing pipelines.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

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Roughneck Brian Waldner is covered in mud and oil while wrestling pipe on a True Company oil drilling rig outside Watford, North Dakota, October 20, 2012. Thousands of people have flooded into North Dakota to work in state's oil drilling boom. REUTERS/Jim

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Investigating Sexual Violence in War

From left, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague and actress and campaigner Angelina Jolie gather at a summit to end sexual violence in conflict in London, June 13, 2014.

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New guidance on investigating sexual violence in war has been released at an international conference in London. Movie actress Angelina Jolie helped organize the four-day-long gathering, which took place last week. She is a special representative for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The goal of the conference was to end the impunity -- the freedom from punishment -- for those who are guilty of sexual violence in conflict. Christopher Cruise has more.

Lejla Damon was 18 years old when her parents told her about her adoption. She was born on Christmas Day 1992, in the city of Sarajevo, as Yugoslavia was violently breaking up. Her mother did not want to see her newborn child. She gave her away.

“My mother, who was Bosnian Muslim, was raped repeatedly in the concentration camps at the time and she, she became pregnant and then in the end ended up having to give birth to me in the central hospital in Bosnia, in Sarajevo.”

Lejla grew up in Britain. She was adopted by the husband-and-wife team who filmed her birth.

The fighting in Bosnia has ended. But Lejla says the Balkans war continues to affect people.

“Out of so many rapes that went on in Bosnia, I think the only, I think there were only 12 that actually went to court. It’s probably my birth mum’s story, this kind of sense of injustice that nothing ever really got done to help her.”

Lejla Damon now works for an aid group called War Child. It took part in the conference, where organizers released guidance on how to record and investigate sexual violence in conflict. Actress Angelina Jolie spoke during the conference.

“I have met survivors of war-zone rape around the world. And almost without exception, they ask for one thing: justice -- the right to be accepted, not shunned by society. The right to long-term economic and health support. And above all, the right to see their attackers held accountable in a court of law.”

In many African countries, few sexual attackers are punished. And conference organizers say the use of rape as a weapon of war is common in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Helen Kezienwha is Uganda country director for the aid group ISIS-Women’s International Cross-Cultural Exchange. Her group gives medical and emotional support to victims of rape.

“Most times, when women are raped, their families, especially their husbands reject them, so they suffer from depression, loss of memory sometimes, and sometimes they feel, have suicidal thoughts because of the anger that is resident in them. Sometimes they see the perpetrators of the violence and nothing has happened.”

The international community has praised political reforms in Myanmar, also known as Burma. But activists say the situation for women there has not changed -- especially for ethnic minorities in areas where there is still conflict. Zoya Phan is Campaigns Director at the group Burma Campaign UK.

“In Burma Campaign UK, the reports of rape and sexual violence that we received has been increased since President Thein Sein started this reform process. And many of the women who have been raped, they have been gang raped.”

Conference organizers hope the new guidance will end the culture of impunity for sexual violence in conflict.

I’m Christopher Cruise.

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Thailand's Military Rulers Want to Soften Image after Coup

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Protesters scuffle with soldiers during a rally at Victory Monument in Bangkok May 28, 2014.

Earlier this week, the head of Thailand’s army gave orders to some of the country’s top diplomats. General Prayuth Chan-ocha told them to seek international understanding for the military’s ouster of the government. The general organized the military overthrow, or coup, last month. He now holds all administrative and legislative power in Thailand.

General Prayuth Chan-ocha met on Wednesday with 23 of Thailand’s ambassadors and general consuls working in 21 countries. The general told the diplomats that they have a duty to create international understanding about the coup last month. Thai military and foreign ministry officials reported his comments.

Thailand’s military rulers have set up a group called the National Council for Peace and Order to govern the country. The military has detained several hundred people, including politicians, activists and members of the media. Many have been released after being held for a week or two in military camps. Some of those targeted have disobeyed orders to surrender. Among them are Thais living overseas.

As the general met with diplomats, a number of Thai military commanders were on their way to China. They were to meet with top-level Chinese army officials. The two countries have held joint exercises in the past.

Thailand’s military rulers say China has been supportive of the coup. But Western nations, including the United States, have been critical of the government’s ouster. The U.S. military suspended training operations with Thailand’s forces in answer to the coup.

Pavin Chachavalpongpun is an associate professor with Kyoto University in Japan. He describes relations between Thailand and China after the coup as a win-win situation. He notes the physical closeness of the two countries and their growing economic ties.

“The pressure from Western countries, the United States and Australia, could have played a role in pushing Thailand a little bit closer to China and knowing that there would be a lot of interest in doing so anyway.”

China is already Thailand’s biggest trading partner. Trade between the countries is expected to reach $100 billion next year.

General Prayuth has expressed a need to return “happiness” to the Thai people after a long period of political unrest. Another Thai military official spoke to VOA after the coup. He said a goal of the ouster of the civilian caretaker government is to permanently end the political influence of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

He was overthrown when the military ousted the government in 2005. But the party he supported won the elections in 2011, and his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, later became prime minister.

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China, Vietnam Take South China Sea Dispute to UN

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A Vietnamese sinking boat (L) which was rammed and then sunk by Chinese vessels near disputed Paracels Islands, is seen near a Marine Guard ship (R) at Ly Son island of Vietnam's central Quang Ngai province May 29, 2014

China and Vietnam are asking United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to help end their dispute in the South China Sea.

On Monday, China sent a letter to Mr. Ban. The letter accused Vietnam of, in its words, “illegally and forcefully” affecting Chinese oil drilling in parts of the sea claimed by both countries.

China’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador Wang Min wrote that Vietnam was violating China’s territorial rights. And he said Vietnam’s actions threaten the safety of Chinese workers.

Vietnam later said it had also sent a letter to Mr. Ban. The letter demanded that China immediately move a Chinese oil-drilling platform and other ships. Vietnam said they violated its territorial claims.

Vietnam also called on China to, in its words, “create conditions” for talks on a plan “to stabilize the situation and control the maritime issues between the two countries.”

Both letters talked about international treaties -- including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. And both countries asked Mr. Ban to give their letters to U.N. members.

Last month, China deployed a state-run oil-drilling platform near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, within what Vietnam considers its economic zone. China also has territorial disputes in the area with the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

The dispute about the oil-drilling platform has caused tensions between communist neighbors China and Vietnam.

Vietnam accused China of firing water cannons at, and ramming, Vietnamese fishing boats -- including one that sank last month. China said Vietnam was the aggressor and that its ships rammed Chinese vessels.

The dispute also led to large anti-China riots last month in Vietnam. Angry Vietnamese destroyed Chinese-owned factories, killing at least four people and wounding many. It forced the removal of thousands of Chinese workers.

Vietnam also asked the United States to help end its territorial disputes with China. The U.S. has declined to take sides in the dispute.

Jen Psaki is a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department.

“We encourage the sides to maintain dialogue with each other, but we’re not going to weigh in on speculation about their location and what it means.”

Michael Auslin studies relations between the United States and Asian nations at the American Enterprise Institute. Mr. Auslin disagreed with the decision by the United States to not get involved in the dispute.

“When the administration goes so far as to say that it’s not going to determine whether or not these waters are in the common definition of the exclusive economic zone of Vietnam, you’ve taken a very great step towards abdicating any input that you can have into this situation.”

Hillary Mann Leverett is a professor at American University in Washington and a former U.N. and State Department official. She said the decision by the U.S. to not get involved would hurt its efforts to become more involved militarily and diplomatically in Asia.

“That’s what China wants to show to Vietnam: ‘You are under the biggest stress that you’ve been under, and the one person, one country that could can come and help you out isn’t going to do it. You need to make amends with China.’ That’s I think very much part of the strategy and why we will continue to see more.”

I’m Christopher Cruise

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Obama Proposes Limits on Power Plant Pollution

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The coal-fired Plant Scherer is shown in operation early Sunday, June 1, 2014, in Juliette, Ga. The Obama administration unveiled a plan Monday to cut carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by nearly a third over the next 15 years.

The Obama administration has proposed stronger rules to limit pollution from American power stations. The proposed rules would affect production of carbon dioxide and other gases linked to (v- lien ket, noi den) rising temperatures worldwide. The administration says the measures will help protect the nation’s health (n- quoc gia, dan toc). And it says they will put the United States in a stronger leadership position to fight climate change.

President Barack Obama announced the proposed pollution rules early last week.

“Today about 40 percent of America’s carbon pollution comes from power plants. But right now there are no national limits to the amount of carbon pollution (o nhiem) that existing plants can pump into (v- bom vao trong) the air we breathe. None.”

The new Clean Power Plan is aimed at (v- nham den, huong vao) the more than 600 coal-fired power plants across the United States. These power centers are the single largest producer of carbon pollution in the country.

Gina McCarthy is head of the Environmental Protection Agency. She said it is a moral (adj- dao duc, luong tam) duty to act for the good of public health.

“When we do, we’ll turn risks of climate into business opportunity. We will spur (v- thuc, hoi thuc) innovation and investment, and we’ll build a world-leading clean energy economy.”

The plan would require a 30 percent reduction in climate-changing emissions from 2005 levels by the year 2030. Ms. McCarthy says flexibility is built into how states enforce (v- ep buoc lam theo) the rule.

“Each state is different, so each goal and each path can be different.”

The proposal offers a number of choices. Kevin Kennedy directs the U.S. Climate Initiative for the World Resources Institute.

“The flexibility that she is talking about (is) the ability to look at the entire electricity system, so that you can look at energy efficiency. You can look at renewables (adj- co the doi moi). You can look at switching fuels from coal to natural gas, making more use of existing natural gas plants that have been sitting relatively idle (adj- ko dung den) for the last decade.”

Coal plants produce nearly one-third of the U.S. electric supply. Jeff Holmstead formerly (adv- truoc day) worked for the Environmental Protection Agency. Now he represents (v- trinh bay) the coal industry for the law office of Bracewell & Giuliani. He says the new rule could force (v- ep buoc) some plants to close. And he warns that higher electric rates could push industrial operations overseas.

“And to some extent, we’re seeing that happen already in Europe, where Europe has had almost no investment from heavy industry and heavy industries that formerly were in Europe are moving to China or India and in some cases even in the United States, because power prices here today are significantly lower than they are in Europe.”

Jeff Holmstead says the administration is wrong to propose a measure that critics say does little to solve the climate change problem. He suggests that investing in a technological fix would be a better way to deal with the issue.

“And until we can figure out a way to allow countries around the world to have the benefits that we enjoy from reliable affordable power, without coal, it is not going to make any different at all to impose expensive requirements in the United States.”

Kevin Kennedy agrees that rules alone are not enough. He says the plan is an important sign to other countries that the United States is taking the lead in the battle against climate change.

“That makes it much more likely that you will be able to get a strong international agreement next year, where you would expect to see China and India and other countries coming to the table, more willing (adj- bang long, muon) to think about reductions on their own.”

The administration has announced a one-year period for comments on the proposals. After that, the rules will be finalized. The coal power industry is expected to fight the measure. United Nations negotiators hope to have a new climate change treaty (n- hiep uoc) in place by 2015.

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US Soccer Team Prepares for the World Cup

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United States World Cup soccer team coach Jurgen Klinsmann, left, and team captain Clint Dempsey answer questions from the news media.

The National Soccer Team has trained at Red Bull Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, not far from New York City. Recently, the team won an important “friendly” match against a strong opponent (đối thủ) Turkey.

The Americans are hoping to do well at the World Cup -- the championship of international football, or soccer as it is called in the U.S. But it will not be easy to advance (v- tien len phia truoc), earning the right to move up (tien len) at the competition.

As play begins, the U.S. team will be competing in what has been called the “Group of Death,” which describes the most difficult group at the World Cup Finals. Germany, Ghana and Portugal are also part of the “Group of Death.” The U.S. has to play all three teams to get to the next level of play.

Last month, U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann spoke to reporters. Jurgen Klinsman is a former German star player and coach. He has served as head of the U.S. team since 2011. He is hopeful about the U.S. team succeeding.

“It’s a tough (adj- khó khăn) group. But we are expected and we expect from ourselves to do well. We expect to go into the knockout stage. So we've got to figure out (v- tính toán, tim hieu) a way to do that. That’s what we are working on. We believe we can absolutely go into the next round, you know. Will it be tough games, tight games? Absolutely. That’s what the World Cup is all about.”

Clint Dempsey is the captain of the U.S. Team. He said it was an honor (n- vinh dự) to be named to that position.

“Anytime you can go into a World Cup and be the captain for your country something is very special and you never forget. But during this World Cup qualifying process, once Jurgen named me captain, I just try the best that I can to lead in a way that I know how to."

Clint Dempsey’s teammates also spoke to reporters. They were hopeful about the team’s performance in Brazil. But coach Klinsmann sought (v- seek/sought tìm kiếm) to limit expectations.

“Germany is expected to win the World Cup. I don’t think we expect now us to win the World Cup, but definitely we want to go far. We want to, we want to do well.”

The U.S. team plays its first match of the competition in Natal, Brazil on June 16th. The opponent will be Ghana, the team that has beaten (v- beat đánh bại) the U.S. in each of the past two World Cups.

The U.S. team has qualified (đủ tiêu chuẩn) for every FIFA World Cup Final since 1990.

I’m Mario Ritter.

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Syrian Civil War Helps Lebanon's Cannabis Farmers

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A man works in a field of cannabis in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.

With a civil war raging in Syria, Lebanese security forces are busy guarding the country's borders. So busy, in fact, that for the past three years, there has not been enough troops for regular raids on illegal crop farmers. As a result, cannabis farms have flourished in the fertile Bekaa Valley in east Lebanon. It is in this area that the cannabis plant is squeezing out less valuable crops such as wheat, barley and vegetables.

Cannabis. Marijuana. Pot.

The spiky-leafed plants are the source of cannabis resin, known as hashish. It is a substance that is much in demand by recreational drug makers worldwide.

Not only is it in demand, it is easy to grow and does not need much water. Ali Nasri Shamas says he makes much more money growing cannabis than growing any other crop. He is prepared to fight for his fields.

"We want to live as everyone else does. If they want trouble, that's no problem for us. It will be harvest season soon. If they want to come for us, they are welcome. If they want to legalize it, we'll thank them and tell them they are good people."

Cannabis is an illegal crop in Lebanon. The government has raided farms, destroyed fields and imposed penalties. Officials in Lebanon’s Drug Enforcement Unit say that from the 1990 until the 2012, getting rid of cannabis was a yearly thing. This has not been the case since the beginning of Syria's war, more than three years ago. They simply do not have the resources.

Bekaa Valley farmers always have resisted government efforts to get rid of the marijuana plant. Now they openly talk about plans to expand its production. And it is not just the farmers who like this idea. Some economists say the government would benefit from making cannabis legal like tobacco, because it could collect taxes from cannabis growers. They say that exporting cannabis to the U.S. and Europe would add as much as $2 billion to the Lebanese economy.

A man stands amidst rubble at a damaged site hit by what activists said was an air strike by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. June 3, 2014. (REUTERS/Mahmoud Hebbo)

Last year when fighting on Syria’s border increased, Lebanese officials quietly stopped their policing of cannabis farms.

This report was written by Zlatica Hoke. I’m Christopher Cruise.

And I’m Anna Matteo. Join us again tomorrow for another As It Is! And look for us on Facebook, iTunes, Linkedin and Twitter.

What do you think about farmers growing cannabis, an illegal crop, to make money? Should the crop be legalized? Let us know in our comment section where you can share your opinions and discuss the issue with other listeners.

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