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TwinCities.com St. Paul Pioneer
<br />r city r er on crude I trams issue
<br />By Joan Lowy
<br />Associated Press
<br />WASHINGTON The
<br />Transportation Department,
<br />issued an emergency, order
<br />'Wednesday' requiring that
<br />railroads inform state: emer-
<br />gency management officials
<br />about the movement of large
<br />shipments of crude all
<br />through their states and
<br />urged shippers not to use old-
<br />er-model-tanks cars that are
<br />easily., ruptured in accidents,
<br />even at slow speeds
<br />The 'emergency : order
<br />requires,; that each railroad
<br />operating trains containing
<br />more than 1 million gallons of
<br />crude oil '- the equivalent of
<br />about 35 tank cars — from the nacr cuR isTAT�
<br />booming Bakken region of
<br />North Dakota;. Montana and Workers clean up derailed tank cars in downtown Lynchburg, Va., last week after 13 cars, of a
<br />parts of Canada provide mfor- 10S -car CSX train came off the tracks Wednesday, spilling crude oil into the James River.:.
<br />oration on the trains': expected
<br />movement, includnig frequen-
<br />cy and county -by- county lave ruptured or punctured, cars is voluntary, noted Sen, Bakken crude derailed in
<br />routes, to the states they tra- spilling their contents, even in Maria Cantwell, D -Wash. downtown Lynchburg, Va.
<br />verse. The order also requires accidents that "occurred at Pointing out that : oil trains sending three tank cars int
<br />that railroads disclose the vol- speeds slower than 80 mph. move through "every major the James River' and shooting
<br />tune of oil being transported The tank cars are generally city it:hathe Northwest .,. hit- flames and black smoke into
<br />and how emergency respond- owned by or leased to oil com- ling every urban center in our the air- No one was injured,
<br />ers can contact "at least one palates that ship the crude, state," she pressed Foxx to but the wreck prompted an
<br />responsible party" at the rail - not the railroads. move even faster on tougher evacuation of nearby build -
<br />road. The emergency order fol- tank-car standards that would sings. ;
<br />Much of the oil from the lows a warning . two weeks have the force of law. Concern about the , safe
<br />region isbeing shipped across ago from outgoing National The' °Arner'ican Petroleum transport of crude oil was
<br />the U:S. and Canada in trains . Transportation Safety Board Institute' said in a +statement •.heightened : after a runaway
<br />. of 100 cars -or more that acct Chairwoman' Deborah 'Hers- that oil companies hope with- oil train ;derailed and then
<br />dent investigators have man that r the department 'in the next year to increase to exploded last July in the small
<br />described as "moving pipe- risks a "higher body count" 60 percent tine share of tank town of Lac- Megantic in Can -
<br />lines." The trains ` traverse as the result of fiery oil train cat's that meet a stronger, vol- ada, just - across the border
<br />small towns and big cities accidents -if it waits for new ' notary standard agreed to by from Maine. More than 60
<br />alike. Local and" state officials, safety' regulations to become shippers' andrailroads in2011, .tank cars spilled more than
<br />fire chiefs and other emer - final. ^• The N1'SB has said cars that 1,3 million gallons of oil For -
<br />gency responders have com- `Transportation Secretary meet: the voluntary standard ty-seven, ; people were killed
<br />plained that they often have Anthony Foxx announced the still puncture and rupture in and 30 buildings destroyed in
<br />no information on the con- moves at a Senate committee accidents, and freight rail- the resulting inferno.
<br />tents of the freight trains 'hearing Wednesday, saying roadshave recommended fur- U.S. crude -oil production is
<br />moving through communities the department was moving theriinprovefnents forecast to reach 8,5 million
<br />and them schedules. Nor are as fast =as possible on new Freight ratlroads'will "do all barrels a- day by the end of
<br />they able to force railroads to safety regulations for crude- they can to'camply''with the this year, iup from 5 million
<br />provide thatinformation,they oil shipments. emergency order on train barrels a day in 2003. The
<br />say, , said the department routes and schedules, the increase is overwfielmnrgly
<br />The department also issued sent a• proposal. last week to , Association of Amerrcanflail due to the 'Bakken !racking
<br />a safety advisory urging ship - the White House that includ- roads said in a statement boom.
<br />pens to use the most protec- ed new tank -car standards There have been nine oil Irackhng, involves the frac-
<br />tive type of tank car in their and regulations on train. • train derailments in the 13.8, , luring of rock 'with pressur-
<br />fleets when shipping oil from speeds, and the safety chest and Canada since March 2013,' izedliquid to free oil and net-
<br />the Bakken legion. The order ficaiien. of oil based on its vet,- many-' of them resulting in viral gas unreachable througr-
<br />reeonnnended that to the atility. He said he anticipated intense fires and Sometimes conventional drilling.
<br />extent possible, shippers not Anal regulations before,: the •the evacuation of nearby resi- Railroad'and ' oil Indust,
<br />use older -model tank cars end of the year. - dents, according to the NPSB. officials had no 'immediate
<br />known as DOT -111s. Accident ' Unlike the emergency order, The latest was last week, comment on thegoveriunent's
<br />mveetivatnrc iwnnrt lhn enn 'the safety: advisory on tank when a CSX train carrying action.
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