Repost from Dakota Resource Council, also see Dakota Resource Council on Vimeo.
A touching video that intimately links our Benicia Valero decision with the lives of those who live at the other end of the rails. Pull up a chair – a worthwhile 30 minutes. – BenIndy Editor Roger Straw
Category Archives: Environmental Impacts
Cleanup lingering after Alabama and North Dakota spills
Repost from TribTown.com, Seymour, Indiana
Oil mars Alabama swamp 4 months after crude train crash; critics raise questions about oil trains
By JAY REEVES Associated Press – March 15, 2014
ALICEVILLE, Alabama — Environmental regulators promised an aggressive cleanup after a tanker train hauling 2.9 million gallons of crude oil derailed and burned in a west Alabama swamp in early November amid a string of North American oil train crashes.
So why is dark, smelly crude oil still oozing into the water four months later?
The isolated wetland smelled like a garage when a reporter from The Associated Press visited last week, and the charred skeletons of burned trees rose out of water covered with an iridescent sheen and swirling, weathered oil. A snake and a few minnows were some of the few signs of life.
An environmental group now says it has found ominous traces of oil moving downstream along an unnamed tributary toward a big creek and the Tombigbee River, less than 3 miles away. And the mayor of a North Dakota town where a similar crash occurred in December fears ongoing oil pollution problems in his community, too.
As the nation considers new means of transporting fuel over long distances, critics of crude oil trains have cited the Alabama derailment as an example of what can go wrong when tanker cars carrying millions of gallons of so-called Bakken crude leave the tracks. Questions about the effectiveness of the Alabama cleanup come as the National Transportation Safety Board considers tighter rules for the rail transportation of Bakken oil, which is produced mainly by the fracking process in the Bakken region of North Dakota and Montana. Oil production is increasing there, boosting the amount of oil being transported across the country.
Environmentalist John Wathen, who has conducted tests and monitored the Alabama site for months for Waterkeeper Alliance, said Genesee & Wyoming railroad and regulators did the bare minimum to spruce up an isolated, rural site and left once the tracks were repaired so trains could run again.
“I believe they really thought that because it’s out of sight, out of mind, out in the middle of a swamp, that nobody was going to pay attention,” said Wathen.
Regulators and the company deny any such thing occurred, however.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, which oversaw the cleanup, say more than 10,700 gallons of oil were skimmed from the water after the derailment, and workers collected about 203,000 gallons of oil from damaged rail cars using pumps. Another 290 cubic yards of oily dirt was excavated with heavy equipment, or enough to cover a basketball court with soil nearly 2 feet deep.
Yet four months later, officials still say no one knows exactly how much oil was spilled. That’s mainly because an unknown amount of oil burned in a series of explosions and a huge fire that lasted for hours after the crash. Since no one knows how much oil burned, officials also can’t say how much oil may be in the swamp.
About a month after the crash, the head of Alabama’s environmental agency, Lance LeFleur, promised “aggressive recovery operations” in a written assessment for a state oversight commission. He said the oil had been contained in a “timely” manner and none had left the wetlands.
Michael Williams, a spokesman for the Connecticut-based Genesee & Wyoming, which owns the short-line Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway line where the crash occurred, said the company is still monitoring the site closely and maintaining a system of barriers meant to keep oil from spreading. The work is continuous, he said.
But regulators and the railroad confirm one of Wathen’s worst fears: That environmental agencies let the railroad repair the badly damaged rail bed and lay new tracks before all the spilled oil was removed. Wathen calls the move a mistake that’s behind the continuing seepage of oil into the water.
“I do agree that they needed to get the rail cars out. But there were other ways to do it,” said Wathen. “Those would have been more expensive.”
James Pinkney, an EPA spokesman in Atlanta, said the rail line had to be fixed quickly to remove oil and damaged rail cars that still contained crude from the wetland.
Agencies are now working with the company and its contractors to recover the remaining oil trapped in the rail bed, but it’s unclear when or how that might happen.
“The EPA and ADEM are continuing to work together to ensure all recoverable oil is removed from the site,” Pinkney said in a written response to questions.
Ed Overton, an environmental sciences professor at Louisiana State University, said spilled crude can linger at a site indefinitely if it’s buried in the ground. Depending on the amount of oil that remains, he said, containment devices may be needed in the swamp for at least a couple of years.
But Bakken crude evaporates quickly once exposed to air because of its composition, said Overton, so the fact that oil remains in the swamp isn’t “the end of the world.”
“It’s going to look bad for awhile,” he said. “It’s amazing how quickly Mother Nature can handle such things, but it will take time.”
The cause of the derailment — which happened at a wooden trestle that was destroyed by the flames and has since been replaced by buried culverts that let water flow underneath the tracks — remains under investigation by the Federal Railroad Administration.
The crash site appears in better shape now than right after the derailment, partly because burned tanker cars misshapen by explosions are gone. Much of the water surrounding the site appears clear, and the odor from the site isn’t bad enough to reach the home of Leila Hudgins, just a few hundred yards away.
“I haven’t smelled anything,” said Hudgins. “They did a good job. They hauled off truckload after truckload.”
The crash site, located off an old dirt road and a new one that was built during the response, is accessible both by car and foot, but Hudgins said she hasn’t looked closely at the spot where it happened.
The railroad said testing hasn’t detected any groundwater contamination, and EPA said air monitoring ended about a month after the crash when it became apparent there were no airborne health hazards.
Still, questions linger. Wathen said he has been taking water samples several hundred yards downstream from the crash site and has detected the chemical fingerprint of so-called Bakken crude, which the train was carrying when it derailed.
“There’s no question it is outside their containment area, and I think it’s even further away,” said Wathen. “This is an environmental disaster that could go on for years.”
The Alabama train was on a southbound run when it derailed less than 3 miles south of Aliceville, a town of about 2,400 people near the Mississippi line. Another oil train derailed and burned in December at Casselton, North Dakota, and 47 people died in July when a train carrying Bakken oil exploded and burned in Quebec.
The mayor of Casselton, Ed McConnell said he has been keeping up with the Alabama cleanup because spilled oil also was buried under the rebuilt railroad tracks near his town of 2,400 people. He worries that oil will reappear on the ground at Casselton as the spring thaw begins in coming weeks.
“It’s still in the ground here, too,” said McConnell. “They’ve hauled a lot of dirt and stuff out. But they covered up the (oily) dirt before getting it all up and rebuilt the track to get it going.”
Alabama’s environmental agency said it still regularly visits the wreck site, which is encircled with the same sort of absorbent fencing, oil-snaring pom-poms and plastic barriers that were used on the Gulf Coast after the BP well blowout in 2010.
Once the “emergency” phase ends, the state environmental agency will install wells to monitor groundwater, said spokesman Jerome Hand.
Government regulators will approve any plans for removing remaining oil from the site, he said.
SF Chron article about Benicia / Crude by Rail
Repost from SFGate.com
[Editor’s note] This SF Chronicle report includes a short video interview with Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson. Unfortunately, the interview is preceded by advertising, and can’t be set to manual play – so I will not embed it here. After reading the text here, click on the link above to see the video on SFGate. The text here very nicely places Valero’s proposal in a wider Bay Area and California context, and then lays out some startling numbers. Worth the read!
Is California prepared for a domestic oil boom?
Published Wednesday, February 26, 2014
The North Dakota oil boom has resulted in more trains going boom. At least 10 trains hauling crude oil from the Bakken Shale across North America have derailed and spilled, often setting off explosions. The deadliest killed 47 people in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, on July 6, 2013. As California refineries seek to adapt their operations to bring in Bakken crude by rail, Bay Area residents in refinery towns want to know: Will they be safe?
In Solano County, Benicia residents packed a Planning Commission meeting when Valero Refining Co. unveiled a plan to adapt its Benicia refinery to receive crude by rail rather than by ship. In Contra Costa County, Pittsburg residents (as well as state Attorney General Kamala Harris) are concerned about a proposal by West Pac Energy to convert a closed tank farm to an oil storage and transfer facility. Similar worries are voiced in Crockett and Rodeo about a proposed propane and butane project at the Phillips 66 refinery.
Air pollution is the top-line concern for these communities, followed by fear of spills and explosions. Some protests are tied to the larger political debate over importing tar sands oil from Canada.
The refinery operators maintain they are merely trading ship transport for rail transport or upgrading aging facilities.
We do know this: The tangle of laws and agencies that oversee rail transport make it easy to assign blame to someone else and tough to hold any one agency or business accountable. Rail oversight is primarily the federal government’s job, which makes sense for an industry with track in every state. While the state handles pollution, some safety inspections and emergency response, it is unclear how much legal authority it or any other state government has. The Obama administration announced some voluntary safety measures Friday that would slow trains in cities, increase track inspections and beef up emergency response. There’s still work to do be done sorting out who would enforce such rules.
A state Senate committee will meet Monday to begin investigating whether California is prepared to receive hundreds of railcars a day of highly flammable Bakken crude. The legislators are asking: Should we have confidence that the agencies with oversight, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the California Public Utilities Commission and Caltrans, are up to the job?
We need to know how theses railroads will run safely before more Bakken crude comes in by rail.
More crude riding the rails
85-fold – the increase in the amount of crude oil transported on U.S. railroads since 2006, from 4,700 carloads to 400,000 carloads in 2013, according to a rail industry regulatory filing.
135 times – the increase in the amount of crude transported by rail in California since 2009, from 45,491 barrels in 2009 to 6,169,264 barrels in 2013, according to the California Energy Commission.
1 percent – the portion of crude oil transported into California by rail (most comes by ship). This is projected to increase as more refineries adapt to bring in Bakken crude by rail.
73 degrees Fahrenheit – the flash point of Bakken crude, a lighter oil that contains more volatile organic compounds than other crude oils, as compared with 95 degrees Fahrenheit. “Crude oil being transported from the Bakken region may be more flammable than traditional heavy crude oil,” reported the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Urgent concerns of our “uprail” friends & neighbors in Davis, CA
Repost from The Peoples’ Vanguard, of Davis, CA
Transport of Crude-by-Rail Puts Davis at Risk
February 3, 2014
By Lynne Nittler, Milton Kalish, and Matt Biers-Ariel
Background: North Dakota Bakken crude oil production is booming, and oil companies are looking for a fast, convenient way to transport their sweet light crude oil to refineries across the U.S., including to the five refineries in the Bay Area.
A vast network of railroads crisscross the nation, making “unit trains” of 100 oil tank cars or more, an efficient and flexible method of transportation. In the last few years, crude-by-rail shipments have increased tenfold. According to a New York Times article, about two-thirds of the production in North Dakota’s Bakken shale oil field rides on rails, as there is no pipeline infrastructure. As of 2013, more than 10 percent of the nation’s total oil production is shipped by rail. (from Accidents surge as oil industry takes the train, by Clifford Krauss and Jad Mouawadjan, Jan 26, 2014).
The number of oil trains nationwide is expected to increase significantly more in 2014 and beyond.
Crude-by-rail is skyrocketing in California. According to the California Energy Commission, in 2013 railroads hauled more than over 6 million barrels of crude oil in California. In 2014 that number may jump to 50 million barrels or more, and by 2016 rail transport is expected to reach nearly a quarter of California’s total oil consumption, or approximately140,000 barrels per day.
Benicia Valero Proposal: Valero petitioned Benicia to allow the oil refinery to enlarge its train terminal in order to increase its production by 70,000 barrels of crude every day. That’s enough to fill 100 sixty-foot-long tank cars with highly flammable crude oil. The Benicia Planning Commission has the power to approve the new rail terminal….or turn it down. Responding to pressure from citizens and a study prepared by the National Resources Defense Council, Benicia is currently preparing a draft Environmental Impact Review (EIR) for the project that will be available for written public comment sometime after the end of January.
The Danger: There are major problems posed to the communities and the sensitive areas the trains pass through. The unsafe tank cars with their volatile cargo pose an immediate and serious safety risk.
Accidents as warnings: A rash of recent fiery accidents prove the point. In the last year there have been 10 major rail accidents involving oil trains in the U.S. and Canada. Last July, 47 people perished in a massive fireball when a train containing Bakken crude derailed and exploded in the Canadian town of Lac-Megantic, Quebec. Four more oil trains have derailed in Canada since then.
Figure 1 The number of crude-by-rail incidents increased even more in 2013.
In November, a train carrying the same Bakken crude derailed in Alabama, possibly caused by trestle tracks that collapsed under the weight of the heavy tank cars. Twelve of the cars exploded, fortunately not in a populated area. In the last week of December, another 18 tank cars carrying Bakken crude derailed and exploded just outside of Casselton, North Dakota, forcing the town to evacuate to avoid the plumes of toxic smoke from the ensuing fires that burned for more than a day. Another oil train derailed and exploded in New Brunswick days later. There is no attempt to put out these massive fires; first responders simply keep people back and watch until the fires die down.
The main problems: If the Benicia Valero Project is approved, trains carrying highly flammable Bakken crude oil in the outdated DOT-111A tank cars (intended for non-flammable liquids such as fertilizer) will pass through the center of Davis after crossing the Yolo Bypass on trestle tracks. The propensity for these tanker cars to rupture and explode on impact and to corrode inside is now well-documented.
Furthermore, it’s becoming clear that the chemical composition of Bakken Shale oil itself is highly explosive and corrosive. In addition, there are new challenges for rail inspections and the enforcement of existing safety codes with the sudden increase in long, heavy oil tank trains. The safety of our families, our community and our environment will be increasingly at risk.
Figure 2 An additional 400,000 million gallons was spilled in the Casselton accident on Dec. 30, 2013.
The route: How the trains will negotiate the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Feather River Canyon without a spill that contaminates our drinking water is terrifying to imagine. Closer to home, on the way to the five Bay Area refineries the tank cars pass through Roseville, Sacramento, West Sacramento, Davis, Dixon, and Suisun, They cross sensitive natural areas including the American and Sacramento Rivers, the Yolo Bypass, and then cut through the protected Suisun Marshes to travel alongside Interstate 680 to Benicia.
We don’t know just how many oil trains came through Davis in 2013, but if the Benicia Valero train terminal is approved, 100 rail cars of Bakken crude oil (probably in two trains of 50 cars each) will soon be coming through Davis every day.
What can Davis residents do? Though the city of Davis cannot regulate trains that pass through it, concerned citizens and civic leaders can take advantage of the 45-day written comment period on the draft EIR report to submit comments with supporting evidence addressing at least the following concerns:
- The 92,000 old DOT-111 tank cars presently in use need to be upgraded or replaced by safer tank cars with thicker shells and puncture/rupture-resistant shields, stronger valve fittings to prevent spills and fires if the cars should derail, and tanks that can withstand corrosive sulfur. The recent oil company order for 60,000 new DOT-111 tank cars should be cancelled unless they are upgraded models.
- The Bakken crude has proven to be more corrosive, sulfurous, or loaded with explosive gas than previously thought, and large amounts of vapor pressure can build up to dangerous levels. Recently the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) required that cars must be properly labeled and the general public, first responders, shippers and carriers of the hazardous loads musts be properly notified. More oversight is needed.
- Safety regulations for rail transport including regular inspections must be thoroughly reviewed and then strictly enforced by the federal government. For examples, at least one derailment accident may have been due to structural weakness in a rail trestle crossing, such as our causeway trestles.
- Problems caused by under-crewed trains, track failures including weather damage, speeding downhill, obstacles on the tracks and other problems, speed issues (generally 35 mph in towns) – all causes of recent derailments – need to be specifically addressed by the federal government.
- The current exemption for rail shipments of hazardous materials from the Emergency Planning and Right-to-Know law must be removed, so communities at risk can be informed of risks they are subject to if they are living or working near rail lines. This includes the nature, volume and frequency of hazmat shipments and what to do to be prepared in case of an accident. Emergency responders need to be aware of any hazards posed by the materials being transported through their communities, and plans for a coordinated response need to be developed.
- The health, safety and environmental concerns of all up-rail communities need to be taken into consideration and fully mitigated before more crude-by-rail transport is approved.
Invite neighboring up-rail communities: It is critical that Davis and all up-rail cities get involved at this point. It would be wise for the up-rail communities to make comments to the DEIR in concert to amplify their effectiveness. Davis has an opportunity to reach out to its neighbors in Roseville, Sacramento, West Sacramento, Woodland, Dixon, Vacaville, Fairfield and Suisun who will share the same risks to their safety and well-being as crude-by-rail transportation increases. The Board of Supervisors for Yolo County should also be invited to join in a united response to the DEIR.
Building a strong coalition now will help as Tesoro Martinez and Wes-Pac Pittsburg Energy have proposals for more crude-by-rail that also may affect Davis. Ultimately, a strong voice will give additional leverage to demanding intervention at the federal level as well.
The following Recommendations were adopted by the Davis Natural Resources Commission on January 27th, 2014 for the Davis City Council. The issue has already been placed on one of the two February agendas for discussion.
1. that the City of Davis submit formal comments signed by members of the City Council to the Draft Environment Impact Report (DEIR) for the Benicia Valero Project when it is released for public comment sometime after the end of January. Consider at least the points mentioned above.
2. that the City of Davis reach out to civic leaders in neighboring up-rail communities and the Yolo, Solano and Sacramento County Board of Supervisors to invite them to sign the comments document (See item #1).
3. that the City Council write a letter taking a position on the Benicia Valero rail terminal Project. Such a letter from an up-rail ally could strengthen the Benicia city council resolve to protect their city should the decision be appealed to them, which is likely no matter how their Planning Commission votes.
5. that the City Council ask the police chief to report on the Davis emergency plans for an event such as a train derailment or explosion.
6. that the City Council ask staff to write the CPUC regarding improved frequency of inspections, speed limits, human factor, and increase directives to the railroads to fix defects discovered. This greater care on the prevention side will help prevent accidents.
7. The city may also choose to write letters to appropriate state and federal agencies who have oversight or regulatory responsibilities, including the PUC.
More information: Visit www.yolanoclimateaction.org for an annotated list of articles, the January 12th op-ed cross posted from the Davis Enterprise, the Natural Resources Defense Council Safety document, Attorney General Kamala Harris’ comments on the WesPac DEIR, a photo gallery and new posts including the link to our NPR Marketplace interview to air sometime in February.
Information on the Valero Project can be found at the city of Benicia. A full history plus many articles and comments are posted at www.benindy.wpengine.com