2 Alberta Derailments; Oil Terminals Without Air Permits in Utah

Second Canadian National Railway Derailment in One Day in Alberta

Railroaded  09/26/14

It’s almost impossible to keep up with the number of reported Canadian National Railway derailments in Alberta. The latest occurred this afternoon near Wildwood west of Edmonton, when 15 cars loaded with coal derailed and spilled coal all over the tracks (Global Edmonton). The extent of environmental damage was not disclosed.

Railroaded reported earlier today about another CN derailment near Vermilion that occurred last night, less than 24 hours before the one near Wildwood. That derailment involved 17 to 20 CN cars loaded with peas.

These are the 20th and 21st reported CN derailments in Alberta in less than a year. It is well known that CN intentionally does not report many of its derailments, so there are undoubtedly many more that have occurred in Alberta during the past year. See CN Railway Derailments, Other Accidents and Incidents for details.

Note: the Railroaded Blog is a useful source for Canadian info

Does air quality suffer as Utah moves more oil by rail? 

Energy » Oil terminals are operating without air-quality permits as industry ramps up production of Utah crude. 

 

By Brian Maffly  | The Salt Lake Tribune  9/28/14

Built to move coal from trucks to trains, three Carbon County terminals instead began transferring crude oil this year — a switch yet to receive final approval from state environmental regulators.

At least 50 tanker trucks a day are rumbling over U.S. Highway 191 to the new rail connections, marking the rise of oil and the decline of coal in Utah’s energy picture.

Thanks to this new infrastructure, Utah crude is being shipped out of state in large quantities for the first time, opening new markets for the Uinta Basin’s distinctive waxy product. State officials are eager to see alternatives for transporting the basin’s surging production, and competing proposals for a pipeline and railway are in the works.

But the lack of current permits alarms environmentalists because transferring oil can release volatile organic compounds and other pollutants.

"We are allowing major operations like this to function without state approval. That tells us we have a serious black hole in terms of regulations for protecting public health," said Tim Wagner, executive director of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment..... read more here