Monthly Archives: March 2014

Alberta Canada, Bakken Shale, Bay Area Refineries, California Energy Commission, California Regulation, Spill prevention and response

NRDC Scientist calls for comprehensive state review

Repost from NRDC Switchboard – Diane Bailey’s Blog

Crude Oil Train Boom Headed to California

March 19, 2014

Oil train.jpgCalifornia’s Senate Committees on Environmental Quality, and Natural Resources and Water are holding a joint hearing on Emergency Response to Rail Accidents today to talk about oil spill response in the event of a crude oil train accident.  This is important given the spate of crude oil train accidents over the past year as oil rail transport has boomed, and as California faces the prospect of new oil rail terminals and up to 25% of crude oil coming to this coastal state by rail (see here, here and here).

It’s good to see the state improving oil spill response planning and resources, including the Governor’s proposal to collect fees from oil rail transport for potential clean-ups.  But we need the state to do more than just mop up oil spills after accidents.  We need a comprehensive review of the public safety implications of all of the new oil terminal proposals before they are built and a focus on human health (in addition to wildlife).

First, does it make sense for the state to invest in new fossil fuel infrastructure like oil rail terminals, when petroleum product use is in decline?  A recent Bloomberg New Energy Finance report predicts a 13 percent drop in gasoline and diesel used in California by 2020 despite a growing population.

Second, if we’re going to bring in crude oil by rail, should we allow new terminals in densely populated areas right next to homes and schools?  That is what’s proposed right now, despite National Transportation Safety Board recommendations for crude oil trains to avoid urban areas.

Third, should the state disclose what these crude oil trains are carrying, how much of it, how often they run and exactly which rail routes they take?  The public has a right to know when mile long trains filled with hazardous cargo are passing by their front porches.

Fourth, if we have choices about which crude oil we import and refine in California, should we make an effort to avoid the very dirtiest and most dangerous crudes?  The California Energy Commission (CEC) and Energy Information Administration report record imports of dirty tar sands to California in recent months.

Fifth, if a rail yard suddenly decides to take 100 car unit trains of crude oil, shouldn’t there be a public process and government oversight to determine whether that is safe and appropriate?  Last week a news report revealed that the Kinder Morgan rail terminal in  Richmond was quietly permitted by the Bay Area Air District to receive mile long crude oil trains every day without any public disclosure whatsoever.  Even the CEC didn’t know about it until a news station broke the story.  In the same story, the Air district stated cavalierly that they’re not concerned about this terminal, which happens to be in the middle of Richmond, a city that has endured significant historic and ongoing pollution from the Chevron refinery and other industrial activities.

These questions should be discussed at the rail safety hearing today. It’s easy to dismiss the public concern over crude by rail safety before an accident happens.  In fact, the town of Lac Megantic, Quebec, may not have been concerned about crude oil trains running through it until the day one derailed, exploded and wiped out the downtown area taking 47 lives last July.

Given that terrible tragedy in Quebec last summer and all the fiery crude oil train derailments since then, the thought of 100 tanker car trains filled with highly volatile, explosion-prone Bakken crude oil going through the densely populated Bay Area ought to give some pause to government authorities. Communities all along crude oil rail routes are waking up to this new reality and they’re concerned.

It’s encouraging to see some steps to address oil rail risks in other regions.  Albany, New York just placed a moratorium on the expansion of the processing of crude oil at the Port of Albany pending a public health investigation by the Albany County Health Department. The City of Seattle passed a resolution last week urging adoption of state legislation and federal regulations; state assessment of risks; railroad company restriction of petroleum transport through Seattle; and update of City incident response plans to address the potential safety, environmental, and economic impacts of petroleum transport by rail.  Similar efforts are under way in Spokane.

A few weeks ago the Mayor of Benicia called on the Governor to issue an executive order to ensure that the state is prepared to deal with the highly flammable and explosive Bakken crude oil from North Dakota coming into California.  That would be a great starting place for California to get out ahead of the looming oil by rail safety crisis in this state.

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Additional note: Visiting a Southern California rail yard today, watching trains get built, plenty of DOT-111 tanker cars were in the mix.

tanker cars in Colton 2.JPG

tanker cars in Colton.JPG

Bakken Shale, California Regulation, Crude Oil, Spill prevention and response

KPIX coverage of California Senate hearing on crude oil train safety – State not ready

Repost from CBS San Francisco, KPIX News 5

Note – The Benicia Independent is searching for a transcript of this Senate hearing.  Meanwhile, check out:

– BenIndy editor Roger Straw

Crude Oil, Environmental Impacts, Spill prevention and response

Pipeline spill in Ohio, 10,000 gallons in wetland

Repost from WLWT.com Cincinnati

5-inch break in pipe responsible for 10k gallon leak

Crews formulating plan to fix pipe

 UPDATED 8:39 PM EDT Mar 20, 2014
ColerainTwpOHIO-crude_oil_spill

COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio —Thousands of gallons of oil have been recovered from the pipeline leak in Colerain Township, and repair efforts can start because the break in the pipe has been found.

Crews continued their efforts to clean up the mess and minimize the environmental effects Thursday.

The work reached a milestone Monday night, as crews discovered the site of the leak. A 5-inch crack on the underside of the pipe caused approximately 10,000 gallons of oil to leak.

Officials said they cannot tell how long the leak had been going on, but residents said that they had been smelling oil since late February.

With the exact break site located, crews are working to make repairs, but that could take some time.

Colerian Township Fire Captain Steve Conn said the repair crews have formulated a plan and will submit it for approved.

“Once it gets approved, then they can start the repairs,” Conn said.

The Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency must weigh in on the repair plan.

“It could be anywhere from a day or a couple days before they get the plan resolved and ready to be implemented,” Conn said.

Crews have been working around the clock to remove the oil, which covers about an acre of wetland, officials said.

About 3,800 gallons of an oil-water mixture has been recovered by skimming a nearby pond. The work at that pond is ongoing.

There are concerns about the impact on wildlife, too.

Traps have been set to try to capture salamanders that migrate through the area, so they can be relocated away from the oil.

Conn said it shows the care that crews are taking in the cleanup effort.

“They’re paying attention trying to get this taken care of as quickly and cleanly as possible and try to get this area back to better shape than it was to begin with,” Conn said.

Officials said late Thursday night that cisterns used for drinking water by residents in the area were not contaminated and safe from which to drink.

Derailment, Rail Safety, Spill prevention and response

Cleanup after North Dakota explosion: 10,000 tons to landfill, no cost estimate

Repost from The Republic, Columbus, Indiana

North Dakota health official: Cleanup at oil train derailment site ‘all but complete’

By JAMES MacPHERSON  Associated Press
March 19, 2014 – 4:24 pm EDT

BISMARCK, North Dakota — Cleanup of an oil train derailment on the outskirts of a small southeastern North Dakota town “is all but complete,” a state health official said Wednesday.

“We’ve identified a couple of small spots that still smell of oil, but cleanup for the most part is done,” said Dave Glatt, chief of North Dakota Department of Health’s environmental health section.

The Dec. 30 collision occurred when a BNSF Railway train carrying soybeans derailed and caused another company train carrying crude oil to derail 1 mile west of Casselton. The wreck sparked massive explosions, towering fireballs and an ominous cloud that hung over the city of about 2,400 residents. No one was hurt, but about 1,400 people voluntarily evacuated.

The derailment highlighted worries about shipping crude by rail and led to a safety alert from the U.S. Department of Transportation warning about the potential high volatility of crude from the rich oil fields of western North Dakota and eastern Montana.

Federal investigators determined 400,000 gallons of oil was lost when the oil-carrying train derailed and caught fire.

Glatt, who spoke to The Associated Press by telephone from the crash site Wednesday, said about 10,000 tons of oil-tainted dirt and other material has been removed by contractors working for the railroad. The company, based on the inspection Wednesday, has permission to begin backfilling the site with new soil, he said.

PHOTO: FILE - In this Dec. 30, 2013, file photo, a fireball goes up at the site of an oil train derailment in Casselton, N.D. State Environmental Health Chief Dave Glatt says cleanup after the BNSF train derailed and caught fire in the small southeastern North Dakota town "is all but complete." Federal investigators determined that 400,000 gallons of oil was lost in the derailment. (AP Photo/Bruce Crummy, File)

FILE – In this Dec. 30, 2013, file photo, a fireball goes up at the site of an oil train derailment in Casselton, N.D.  State Environmental Health Chief Dave Glatt says cleanup after the BNSF train derailed and caught fire in the small southeastern North Dakota town “is all but complete.” Federal investigators determined that 400,000 gallons of oil was lost in the derailment. (AP Photo/Bruce Crummy, File)

“They are good to go,” said Glatt, adding that regulators had estimated the cleanup of the fouled soil would last at least through the first part of summer. “They wanted to backfill in with good soil before the spring rains come and turn the whole area into a quagmire.”

Glatt said the state requires the monitoring of water runoff from the site at least through spring. BNSF also will be required to monitor groundwater for at least two years, he said.

“We want to continue to monitor that site, as a precaution,” BNSF Railway spokeswoman Amy McBeth said. “We will continue to work with the state Department of Health, as we have from the beginning.”

Most of the fouled dirt was taken by truck to out-of-state landfills, McBeth said. The tangled and charred wreckage of 15 grain cars and 21 oil tank cars that had been strewn in the area also has been hauled away, she said.

McBeth said the railroad would not disclose the cost of the cleanup.

Casselton Mayor Ed McConnell said things were beginning to return to normal in the small town, about 30 miles west of Fargo.

“It’s better than it was,” he said of the wreck site. “But there still is a good healthy mistrust of that track.”