The eternal problem of cause and effect

Mark Dayton is hopping mad that the railroads are shipping so much oil from North Dakota, instead of Minnesota grain and is demanding accountability:

In a letter sent Wednesday to the chairman of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, Dayton said the study explains “the dire circumstances that Minnesota farmers face and the need for increased accountability and clarity from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) and the Canadian Pacific (CP) railroads.”

Dayton wants the railroads to provide more information about why they cannot move more agricultural products from state farms and grain elevators to markets. The governor asked that the transportation board discuss the study in a Sept. 11 meeting scheduled in Minnesota. He suggested that BNSF and CP have not adequately explained why they cannot get more grain cars on the state’s tracks.

It's interesting that Alaska doesn't have these problems with the oil that is produced there. Wonder why that is. Oh, wait -- here's a website that explains:

Since pipeline startup in 1977, Alyeska Pipeline - TAPS' operator - has successfully transported more than 16 billion barrels of oil and loaded more than 19,000 tankers at the Valdez Marine Terminal. More than half of the pipeline runs above ground – an engineering decision due to Alaska’s prevalent permafrost terrain. TAPS’ visibility as it crosses Alaska’s remarkable terrain has made it one of the world’s most photographed pipelines.

I hear there's been some talk about building a pipeline that would serve the oil fields in North Dakota. I wonder which political party has been opposing it, don't you?