hundreds of miles of track in northern Maine to control operating costs and manage its debt. The company's fortunes began to change in 2012 when MMA embraced oil-by-rail as a path to profitability. Transporting oil allowed it to re-hire laid-off workers and purchase additional locomotives (rebuilt General Electric C 39-8s originally constructed in 1986). The oil being transported over MMA was destined for Saint John, New Brunswick's Irving Oil Refinery. By early 2013, environmental groups and Maine state officials were expressing concern about the increasing amounts of crude oil on both the MMA and its rival Pan Am Railways in the wake of a string of minor derailments on both railroads. According to Maine Department of Environmental Protection director Scott Whittier, "The transportation of crude oil across rail lines is a concern because many times, rail lines are very close to sensitive water bodies, so it does present a potential threat that we need to prepare for." In a March 2013 Associated Press interview, MMA chief executive Robert Grindrod dismissed these concerns, stating "The statistics tell you how much has been transported, but to the best of my knowledge, there hasn't been any spilled or released,". 2013 Frontenac fuel spill On June 11, 2013 an MMA locomotive spilled of diesel oil from its fuel tank at Frontenac (approximately east of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec) after the tank was perforated while using a switch. 2013 Lac-Mégantic disaster On July 6, 2013, train MMA 2, which was made up of C30-7 5017, a VB Remote Control Caboose, C30-7 5026, CITX SD40-2 3053, C30-7 5023, CEFX SD40-2 3166, a boxcar being used as a buffer car and 72 DOT-111 cars carrying crude petroleum products derailed in the centre of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. The runaway train, without anyone at the controls after a stop at Nantes for a crew change, derailed at approximately 1:20 AM, and four of its cars exploded. The city's downtown core suffered catastrophic damage, with many businesses and residential properties completely destroyed. Many of the residents lost their homes or jobs; 47 people are presumed dead in the deadliest Canadian rail disaster since the St-Hilaire train disaster in 1864. The locomotives separated from the cars before they could derail. Rail World president and CEO Edward Burkhardt first visited Lac-Mégantic after the accident on 10 July 2013, and was heckled by residents. After the accident the railway's safety record was called into question. The