Broken rails, hidden data- and other links

 After the '64 quake in Alaska.   Cascadia's will be when?     

Broken rails: Track defects behind lethal blasts

BY LAURA ARENSCHIELD AND RICK ROUAN
COLUMBUS DISPATCH      12/20/15    

MOUNT CARBON, W.Va. — Track defects caused fiery crude-oil derailments that forced 1,100 people from their homes in this Appalachian village this year and killed 47 people in a Canadian town in 2013.

In fact, a Dispatch analysis of federal records shows that track defects and human error are to blame for most railway incidents.

Yet U.S. regulators focus on tanker cars instead of the rails that support the cars and millions of gallons of Bakken crude, a highly volatile oil from North Dakota and Montana that crisscrosses the country on the way to refineries each week.....    more here

States, feds keep train-derailment reports from public

By Laura Arenschield & Rick Rouan The Columbus Dispatch • Sunday December 20, 2015

Information that state and federal government agencies collect about train derailments, particularly those that cause crude-oil spills, is hard to find.

Huge amounts of data about collisions, derailments and other accidents that happen along railroads in the United States are collected every year.

Some of it is compiled by the industry and distributed directly to the public upon request. But some is buried in databases that government officials are slow to release, if at all.

For example, the U.S. Department of Transportation requires railroads to submit annual reports to state emergency-response officials estimating how many trains carrying crude oil from the Bakken shale region pass through each county.

Yet in many states, the public is not allowed to see those reports.

A request by The Dispatch to see reports for Ohio went unanswered for months.....

.... Final reports reveal that what railroads initially tell the Federal Railroad Administration doesn’t always hold up in an investigation. Many underestimate damages and list causes that are later changed. more here

Lifting oil-export ban unlikely to affect WA state right away

By Hal Bernton Seattle Times Dec. 19, 2015

The lifting of the national ban on crude-oil exports is unlikely to trigger a rush to send oil to Asia from Washington state terminals, but that could change over the longer term.

With a 40-year oil-export ban lifted Friday by Congress, Washington terminals that receive Bakken shale crude by rail will be able to send unrefined product to Asia.


In the years ahead, that might be an attractive option. But current market conditions make the West Coast terminals an unlikely launching point for major overseas shipments, according to industry analysts..... more here

Obama vetoes GOP push to kill climate rules 

-Benicia Independent   12/19/15

Secrecy of Crude by Rail Loses in Court- Again

Maryland judge orders release of oil train reports 

By Curtis Tate   McClatchyDC  Aug 17, 2015

A Maryland judge rejected two rail carriers’ arguments that oil train reports should be withheld from the public, ordering them released to McClatchy and other news organizations that sought them.

 

The ruling isn’t the first time railroads have lost their bid to keep the oil train reports secret, but it is the first court decision recognizing the public’s right to see them.

The U.S. Department of Transportation began requiring in May 2014 that railroads inform states of large shipments of crude oil after a series of derailments with spills, fires, explosions and evacuations. Since February, six more major oil train derailments have occurred in North America.
Nonetheless, some railroads have continued to press their case that the reports should be exempt from disclosure under state open records laws. Most states shared the documents anyway, and Pennsylvania and Texas did so after McClatchy appealed. Maryland is the only state the railroads took to court to block the release of the reports.

Norfolk Southern and CSX sued the Maryland Department of the Environment in July 2014 to stop the state agency from releasing the records to McClatchy and the Associated Press. They have until Sept. 4 to appeal the decision, issued Friday by Judge Lawrence Fletcher-Hill of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.

Both companies, which transport crude oil to East Coast refineries concentrated in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, said they would review the decision.....

.... In his 20-page opinion, Fletcher-Hill was not persuaded by arguments that releasing the oil train reports would harm the railroads’ security and business interests. He also dismissed the relevance of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s May final rule addressing the safety of oil trains. The companies had argued that the final rule supported their claims.

He also ordered the companies to pay any open court costs.

In a statement, Maryland Secretary of the Environment Ben Grumbles said the agency was pleased with the ruling and that it is “committed to transparency in government.” ....  more here

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/economy/article31310891.html#storylink=cpy

House bill seeks ban on DOT-111 tank cars for oil trains

House bill seeks ban on DOT-111 tank cars for oil trains

April 15, 2015 Roger Straw     Benicia Independent

                        Repost from McClatchyDC News
 
[Editor:   Read the bill on Rep. McDermott’s website.  Track the bill on GovTrac.us.   Authenticated version of the bill is here.    Co-sponsors of the bill include Representatives Jim McDermott (WA-7), Doris Matsui (CA-6), Ron Kind (WI-3), Nita Lowey (NY-17) and Mike Thompson (CA-5).  A similar version of this legislation was filed in the Senate by Senators Cantwell, Baldwin and Feinstein in March 2015.  – RS]

Matsui bill seeks ban on DOT-111 tank cars for oil trains

By Curtis Tate, April 15, 2015

 

Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, on Wednesday introduced a bill to address safety issues with crude oil trains following a series of recent derailments, including an immediate ban on tank cars that are vulnerable to punctures and fire damage.

Matsui cited the multitude of railroad tracks passing through Sacramento, some of which have been used to transport crude oil. The oil shipments have declined recently, but could rise again once new terminals are approved and constructed.

Since the beginning of the year, four oil trains have derailed and caught fire in North America, including derailments in West Virginia and Illinois, and two in Canada.

“Too many of our communities have been devastated by the derailment of a train carrying crude oil,” Matsui said in a statement. “Enough is enough.”

Matsui’s bill would prohibit DOT-111 tank cars from transporting crude oil, set tougher construction standards for new cars than the federal government currently requires, set a minimum volatility standard for oil transported by rail, increase fines and penalties for safety violations, and require that railroads share more information about hazardous shipments with local emergency responders.

The bill, also sponsored by Reps. Ron Kind, D-Wis., and Jim McDermott, D-Wash., is similar to Senate legislation unveiled a few weeks ago by Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.

The Senate bill is also co-sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, is a co-sponsor of Matsui’s bill.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is expected to issue new regulations on oil trains in the next few weeks, once the White House Office of Management and Budget has completed a review. It could be months, however, before those rules take effect.

“With multiple sets of tracks going through our neighborhoods and downtown area,” Matsui said, “the risk of a derailment in Sacramento is too great to ignore.”

More info here:   (h/t Roger Straw)    From Rep. Mike Thompson’s website

Read the bill on Rep. McDermott’s website.  Track the bill on GovTrac.us.   Authenticated version of the bill is here.    HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT:  Sec. 4. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to immediately prohibit the shipment of oil in all DOT-111 tank cars, and unjacketed CPC-1232 cars.  Allows jacketed CPC-1232 cars to remain in service.  Requires the Secretary of Transportation to prohibit, after 2 years, the shipment of ethanol in all DOT-111 tank cars, and unjacketed CPC-1232 cars.  Allows jacketed CPC-1232 cars to remain in service.  

What Can Washington State Do to Make the Feds Move Faster on Oil Train Safety?

by Sydney Brownstone • Mar 2, 2015   The Stranger              h/t Tammy!

Washington Department of Ecology officials have already admitted that they wouldn't have enough resources to deal with a surprise tar sands crude-by-rail spill. Anan Kaewkhammul/Shutterstock

 

On February 22, the Associated Press published a damning scoop on oil trains: A "previously unreported" study from the federal Department of Transportation predicts 15 oil train derailments in 2015 and an average of 10 annual derailments in this country over the next 20 years. The analysis also notes that a serious accident in a densely populated area could kill more than 200 people.

Preventing a spill in a densely populated area is exactly what protesters who showed up for last week's demonstration against oil trains in Seattle are worried about. But Washington State rules can't preempt federal ones, so on top of what's going on at the local level, it's up to the federal government to demand new safety standards for the industry. There's a lot of room for improvement, according to a Center for Biological Diversity report published last month. It looked at the consequences of oil train derailments across the country and criticized the feds for not moving fast enough.

Still, there's a lot individual states can do to put pressure on the feds to hurry up, the author of that report says. One of the best ways to do so is public disclosure requirements—rules that identify which oil trains will be passing through different parts of the state, and when. 

"I think disclosure requirements need to be broad, because public pressure is really important," says Jared Margolis, staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity and author of last month's report. "People should know where these [trains] are so they can stand up and tell the government this is not what they want. If the pressure is there from the state, and the citizens, then we'll see some action."

State legislators in Olympia are currently considering two oil transportation safety bills, one sponsored by Senator Doug Ericksen (R-Ferndale) and the other by Representative Jessyn Farrell (D-Seattle). Ericksen's bill, which only covers oil-by-rail safety, doesn't include public disclosure rules. Farrell's bill, which covers a wide range of oil transportation safety issues, does.

All of this comes at a time when recent events have doubly underlined the need for transparency from the oil industry in the Pacific Northwest. According to an Oregon Public Broadcasting report published in early February, it took two months for Washington State officials to figure out that the oil industry had already started moving increased tar sands crude on long trains throughout the state. 

Washington's own Department of Ecology has already admitted that it doesn't have enough resources to address a surprise tar sands spill. Nor does it help that tar sands crude poses an especially destructive threat to aquatic ecosystems, and a major spill near the Columbia River could mean devastation for struggling salmon and steelhead populations unable to breed in toxic muck.....    more here

The Columbian editorial: Oil terminal proponents' argument is a tough sell

Vancouver Washington Waterfront Aerial over the Columbia River

Jayne: Oil terminal proponents' argument is a tough sell

By Greg Jayne, Columbian opinion editor   January 4, 2015   The Columbian

.......The Columbian's Editorial Board met recently with Dan Riley, vice president of government affairs for petroleum refiner Tesoro Corp., and Jared Larrabee, general manager of Vancouver Energy, which would operate the facility. They were friendly and articulate and effectively stated their case in favor of the terminal. But at the end of the day, I'm not sure I buy it.

You see, the biggest problem with the terminal proposal is a matter of vision. A vision for Vancouver. A vision for the Gorge. A vision for all of Southwest Washington. And it seems the vision would be muddled by having the country's largest oil terminal. Is that really how we want Vancouver to be known? While the rest of the Northwest is developing a creative, dynamic economy, it doesn't make sense for this area to become inextricably identified with heavy industry that has a dubious environmental impact......   more here

There are more than 1,000 train derailments in the US every year, per DOT statistics.

Freight Train Derails in Cicero

NBC Chicago  01/06/15

Authorities on Tuesday morning shut down West 26th Street in Cicero after a freight train derailed.

Several cars of the BNSF train went off the tracks at 26th Street east of Ogden Avenue at about 2:45 a.m., a Cicero police spokesperson told NBC Chicago. The officer did not know what the train was hauling.....   video also at site

Freight Train Derailment In Citrus Heights Prompts Hazmat Response

January 5, 2015 | CBS – Sacramento | CITRUS HEIGHTS (CBS13) — A freight train has derailed in Citrus Heights, prompting the evacuation of a rail yard due to the contents of one of the cars.

[original item deleted by CBS Sacramento, replacement carefully does not mention that one car contained toluene, an organic solvent. Health hazards info here. ]