Tag Archives: Spokane WA

Bakken Crude, Crude By Rail, Derailment, Emergency Readiness & Response, State regulation

Legislation proposed in state of Washington to regulate oil trains

Repost from The Pacific Northwest Inlander

Big Boom

What officials want to do with exploding oil train traffic

By Jake Thomas, March 18, 2015
A train shipping oil through Montana.
A train shipping oil through Montana.

Every day a potential bomb, sometimes a mile long, quietly passes through Spokane as it makes its journey across the state.

Beginning four years ago, Washington began seeing a big change in how crude oil was transported across the state. Historically, Washington received 90 percent of its crude oil from tanker ships from Alaska or an international source. Now it comes by trains from North Dakota loaded with crude oil from the Bakken shale. Every week 16 Burlington Northern Santa Fe trains carrying Bakken oil pass through Spokane County, according to a recent report from the state Department of Ecology. The study found that the number of oil trains traveling through the state could rise to 137 a week by 2020.

Bakken oil is particularly volatile, and sometimes these trains derail and explode. In the last month alone, four oil trains have derailed in Illinois, West Virginia and twice in Quebec, causing explosions and environmental contamination. In 2013, a train derailed in a small town in Quebec, killing 47 people.

In Washington, a rail line runs through Spokane Valley, downtown Spokane and Cheney and intersects with I-90. An oil train explosion along this stretch could be catastrophic.

“All of Cheney could be wiped out,” says Laura Ackerman, oil and coal campaign director at the environmental advocacy group the Lands Council. “All of these places could be wiped out.”

Last year, Washington lawmakers were unable to pass any legislation regarding oil trains. They’re trying again this session, and legislators are split on two competing proposals. In Spokane, the only urban center the trains pass through on their way to western Washington, the city’s officials have taken different approaches to potential legislation.

Earlier this month, two bills passed out of the House and Senate, respectively. They both seek to provide local communities with more information and resources for responding to an oil train derailment, but differ on how to do that.

The Senate version would require railroad companies to submit notices to be shared with local authorities on the route, time, volume and type of crude oil that was sent through their jurisdiction for the previous week. An amendment to the bill also requires a minimum of three crew members on trains carrying hazardous materials, four if the train is longer than 51 cars. It also creates grants for local first responders.

A competing bill in the House, backed by Gov. Jay Inslee, would go further by requiring rail companies to provide daily notices to local governments. Under the bill, rail companies would have to demonstrate the ability to pay for worst-case spills. It would also increase a per-barrel tax, that currently only applies to marine transport, from 4 cents to 8 cents. The tax, which is directed toward oil spill prevention, would also be applied to oil transported by rail and pipeline in Washington state.

“[The Senate bill] is too weak to declare victory, if that’s the one that passes,” says Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart, who has traveled to Olympia to support the governor’s bill.

Proponents of the governor’s bill, which includes Spokane Democratic state Reps. Timm Ormsby and Marcus Riccelli, say that local governments should have daily notification of oil trains because different types of oil, such as Bakken crude, are more volatile and fires resulting from them are more difficult to put out, and first responders could be better prepared if they know what’s coming.

Opponents of requiring more frequent disclosure from rail companies say that the information could be hacked and land in the hands of terrorists, to which Stuckart responds, “I think we’ve got a lot bigger threat with oil trains than terrorists.”

Mayor David Condon has not been to Olympia to lobby on the bills, and he says he doesn’t have a firm position on either. But he might develop a firmer position as the session progresses.

“You know, I just got a side-by-side comparison [of the bills],” Condon tells the Inlander. “I haven’t had a chance to review them.”

Condon says he has been engaged on oil train safety, serving as co-chair on a committee with the Association of Washington Cities dedicated to freight rail. Local first responders have undergone training exercises to prepare for an oil train derailment, says Condon, and his administration has concentrated on making sure that planning and communication are in place for such an event.

Stuckart and Councilman Jon Snyder, however, would like to see the mayor push harder for better protections.

“I’d like to see him be more [engaged on the legislation],” says Snyder.

Derailment, Freight trains

Latest derailment: Grain train in Cheney, Washington

Repost from The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA

Train derailment near Cheney may block road until Saturday

By Mike Prager , January 16, 2015
Cars derailed where the tracks cross Cheney- Spokane Road in Cheney on Thursday. Jesse Tinsley photo

The rail line where a grain train jumped the tracks early Thursday has been targeted for major upgrades so it can safely handle today’s heavier locomotives and longer trains.

The derailment at Cheney-Spokane Road on the northeast side of Cheney left at least six cars off the track, including one that was tilting at a 20-degree angle.

The train was traveling slowly – no more than 10 mph – a crew worker said. No injuries were reported and no wheat was spilled.

Cheney-Spokane Road likely will be blocked until Saturday. After a contractor lifts the fully loaded grain hoppers back onto the rails, crews will fix damage to the rail line and crossing.

A detour is in place on a gravel section of Betz Road east of state Highway 904 and on a short section of Andrus Road.

The 30-car train derailed as it entered Cheney from Almira just before 1:30 a.m. Thursday on the state-owned short line.

Bob Westby, the state’s manager of the Palouse River & Coulee City Railroad line, said the state has been seeking funding to upgrade the track, ties and roadbed in the location where the derailment occurred.

Last year, the state asked the federal government for a $6 million TIGER grant (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) to upgrade the line from Cheney to the Geiger spur, a distance of just over 6 miles.

The grant was rejected, but it had to compete with nearly 800 other TIGER requests nationwide. It was one of three submitted by the state Department of Transportation.

“This project is one of our priorities,” Westby said.

The project is included in a $30 million budget request to the Legislature this session for rail needs. If approved, work on the line could begin later this year or next year.

The derailment underscores concerns about more frequent rail shipments, including potentially volatile crude oil traveling on mainline tracks.

John Taves, a Cheney city councilman, said the blockage of Cheney-Spokane Road would delay emergency vehicles and shows the risks facing the public from train accidents.

“People need to realize railroad traffic is increasing,” he said. “There has been a lot of concern.”

Bill Wolff, director of maintenance for the short line’s operator, said it was not clear what caused the derailment. He said cold weather puts stress on the track, making it vulnerable to fracture under a bad wheel, for example.

Once the line is cleared, inspectors can examine the track to determine a cause, Wolff said.

The state bought the line in 2004 to preserve rail access for rural communities in Eastern and Central Washington and to keep more truck traffic off state highways. At the time, state officials said $22 million in upgrades were needed.

The upgrades north of Cheney are requested in part so heavier BNSF Railway locomotives and 110-car trains can serve a new grain loader under construction north of Four Lakes. The new loader facility will have an “eight pack” concrete grain elevator, high-speed loading and a large circular staging track for filling the units. The elevator will be 190 feet tall.

The line, which dates to the late 1800s, is part of the former BNSF network in the region. The railroad sold the line in the mid-1990s to a private company, which then sold it to the state.

It’s operated under lease by the Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad.

The short line serves farm communities by hauling grain at favorable rates and industrial companies at Airway Heights. The 108-mile segment north and west of Cheney passes through Medical Lake, Reardan, Davenport, Creston, Wilbur, Almira, Hartline and Coulee City, the terminus.

Companion lines run south of Cheney and serve Rosalia, Oakesdale and points south, including a network of rail in the Palouse. The total track is 296 miles.

The derailment did not block access to shopping areas at Highway 904 and Cheney-Spokane Road. Roadblocks were set up ahead of the crossing in both directions.

Crude By Rail, Emergency Readiness & Response, Local Regulation

Seattle emergency planners: Oil train hazard in 100-year-old tunnel

Repost from The Columbian
[Editor: An important local study, calling for better disaster preparedness.  Significant quote – “…oil trains travel through three significant zones in Seattle: passing within blocks of two stadiums, through the downtown tunnel, and along the north end, which has limited access because of high banks along the waterfront.”  – RS]

Oil trains called hazard in old Seattle tunnel

Report says railroad, city must prepare to limit a catastrophe
By PHUONG LE, Associated Press, September 16, 2014
A long line of rail tanker cars sits on tracks south of Seattle, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014. In a report to the Seattle City Council, city emergency planners say more must be done to lower the risk of a possible oil train accident and improve the city’s ability to respond. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) (Ted S. Warren/AP)

SEATTLE — With increasing numbers of trains carrying volatile crude oil through Seattle’s “antiquated” downtown rail tunnel, city emergency planners say more must be done to lower the risk of an oil train accident and improve the city’s ability to respond.

In a report to the Seattle City Council, emergency managers warned that an oil train accident resulting in fire, explosion or spill “would be a catastrophe for our community in terms of risk to life, property and environment.”

BNSF Railway can make immediate safety improvements in the mile-long 100-year-old rail tunnel that runs under downtown Seattle, including installing radio communication, a fire suppression system to release water and foam, and a permanent ventilation system, according to the report written by Barb Graff, who directs the city’s office of emergency management, and Seattle assistant fire chief A.D. Vickery.

About one or two mile-long trains a day carrying shipments of crude oil from the Bakken region of North Dakota, Montana and Canada through the city of about 630,000 residents.

Several refineries in the state are receiving shipments of crude oil, and the others are upgrading facilities to accept oil trains. Once refineries are able to accommodate additional shipments, three or more trains could pass through Seattle each day, the city report said.

Oil trains currently enter Washington state near Spokane, and travel through the Tri-Cities and along the Columbia River before traversing Seattle to refineries to the north. In the state, as many as 17 trains carry about 1 million gallons of crude oil a week through several counties, including Spokane, Benton and Clark, BNSF reported to the state in July.

“We know they can explode. We’ve seen the tragedy in Canada. We know they can derail. That happened two months ago in our own city,” said Councilor Mike O’Brien, whose committee scheduled a special meeting Tuesday night to discuss the report. “We have to treat this as a real threat.”

Oil-train derailments have caused explosions in North Dakota, Virginia, Alabama and Oklahoma, as well as in Quebec, where 47 people were killed when a runaway train exploded in Lac-Megantic in July 2013.

Two months ago in Seattle, three tanker cars derailed as an oil train bound for a refinery in Anacortes pulled out of a rail yard in Seattle. BNSF officials noted at the time that nothing spilled, and a hazardous materials crew was on the scene in 5 minutes, but the incident raised new concerns.

BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas said the railway has improved tracks and roadbed to ensure that trains travel the tunnel safely. He said the concrete-lined tunnel is inspected regularly and is “structurally safe.”

“We’ll review the (city) report further,” he said. “We take safety extremely seriously and the operation of trains is a top priority, and we’ll continue to enhance our safety process.”

The railway plans to locate a safety trailer with foam equipment and extinguishers in the Seattle area, and plans to continue to train Seattle firefighters and responders.

Seattle’s report notes that oil trains travel through three significant zones in Seattle: passing within blocks of two stadiums, through the downtown tunnel, and along the north end, which has limited access because of high banks along the waterfront.

“The tunnel runs under all of downtown. What happens if something goes wrong there?” O’Brien said. “We’ve heard the fire department say we aren’t sure we can send firefighters to fight if it’s too dangerous.”

Oil trains typically move at about 10 mph through the tunnel, less than the maximum speed of 20 mph, and do not operate in the tunnel at the same time as a passenger train, BNSF’s Melonas said.

A derailment and fire involving Bakken oil tank cars could stress fire department resources, the report said. It recommends limiting track speeds in high-density urban areas, and that the railroad company help pay for specialized training, sponsor annual drills to respond to tank car emergencies and provide a foam response vehicle to use in case of an oil train accident.

Eric de Place, policy director for Sightline Institute, an environmental think tank, said other local governments should be doing similar reviews.

“Railroads don’t carry near the rail insurance they need,” he said. “If there’s a meaningful risk, the railroads should have to be insured against it and they should have to find private insurance.”