5 replies to this topic

[CNJRoss]

USDOT news release, 5/7:

U.S. DOT Takes New Emergency Actions as Part of Comprehensive Strategy to Keep Crude Oil
Shipments Safe
Emergency order requires railroads transporting crude to notify state emergency response commissions; safety
advisory urges use of tank cars with highest integrity

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued an Emergency Order requiring all railroads operating trains containing large amounts of Bakken crude oil to notify State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) about the operation of these trains through their states.

Additionally, DOT’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a Safety Advisory strongly urging those shipping or offering Bakken crude oil to use tank car designs with the highest level of integrity available in their fleets. In addition, PHMSA and FRA advise offerors and carriers to the extent possible to avoid the use of older legacy DOT Specification 111 or CTC 111 tank cars for the shipment of Bakken crude oil.

“The safety of our nation’s railroad system, and the people who live along rail corridors is of paramount concern,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “All options are on the table when it comes to improving the safe transportation of crude oil, and today’s actions, the latest in a series that make up an expansive strategy, will ensure that communities are more informed and that companies are using the strongest possible tank cars.”

Effective immediately, the Emergency Order (Docket Number DOT-OST-2014-0067), requires that each railroad operating trains containing more than 1,000,000 gallons of Bakken crude oil, or approximately 35 tank cars, in a particular state to provide the SERC notification regarding the expected movement of such trains through the counties in that state.

The notification must include estimated volumes of Bakken crude oil being transported, frequencies of anticipated train traffic and the route through which Bakken crude oil will be transported. The Emergency Order also requires the railroads provide contact information for at least one responsible party at the host railroads to the SERCs. The Emergency Order advises railroads to assist the SERCs as necessary to share the information with the appropriate emergency responders in affected communities.

FRA and PHMSA also issued a joint Safety Advisory, Number 2014-01, to the rail industry strongly recommending the use of tank cars with the highest level of integrity in their fleet when transporting Bakken crude oil.

The Department of Transportation continues to pursue a comprehensive, all-of-the-above approach in minimizing risk and ensuring the safe transport of crude oil. FRA and PHMSA have undertaken more than a dozen actions to enhance the safe transport of crude oil over the last ten months. This comprehensive approach includes immediate and long-term steps such as: launching “Operation Classification” in the Bakken region to verify that crude oil is being properly classified; issuing safety advisories, alerts, emergency orders and regulatory updates; conducting special inspections; moving forward with a rulemaking to enhance tank car standards; and reaching agreement with railroad companies on a series of immediate voluntary actions they can take by reducing speeds, increasing inspections, using new brake technology and investing in first responder training.

Click here to view the Emergency Order.

Click here to view the Safety Advisory.

The mission of the Federal Railroad Administration is to enable the safe, reliable and efficient movement of people and goods for a strong America, now and in the future. To learn more about the FRA visit www.fra.dot.gov

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration develops and enforces regulations for the safe, reliable, and environmentally sound operation of the nation's 2.5 million mile pipeline transportation system and the nearly 1 million daily shipments of hazardous materials by land, sea, and air. Please visit http://phmsa.dot.gov for more information.

[CNJRoss]

AP via ABC news, 5/7:

Feds Issue Emergency Order on Crude Oil Trains

The Transportation Department issued an emergency order Wednesday requiring that railroads inform state emergency management officials about the movement of large shipments of crude oil through their states and urged shippers not to use older model tanks cars that are easily ruptured in accidents, even at slow speeds.

The emergency order requires that each railroad operating trains containing more than 1 million gallons of crude oil — the equivalent of about 35 tank cars — from the booming Bakken region of North Dakota, Montana and parts of Canada provide information on the trains' expected movement, including frequency and county-by-county routes, to the states they traverse. The order also requires that railroads disclose the volume of oil being transported and how emergency responders can contact "at least one responsible party" at the railroad.

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[CNJRoss]

AP via ABC News, 5/8:

Railroad: Federal Order Won't Affect Oil Shipments

BISMARCK, N.D. May 8, 2014 (AP)

The main railroad moving crude oil out of the rich Bakken formation in North Dakota and Montana said a new federal emergency order on rail shipments will not affect shipments.

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday required railroads to inform state emergency management officials about the movement of large shipments of crude oil. The agency also asked companies shipping oil from the Bakken region to stop using older generation tank cars that have been involved in a spate of fiery derailments over the past year.

"We will comply with the new reporting requirements but do not anticipate they will impact our service," BNSF Railway Co. said in a statement. "We will continue moving the freight that our customers demand."

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[CNJRoss]

AAR news release:

AAR Responds to DOT Emergency Order Requiring State Notification of
Large Bakken Crude Oil Shipments by Rail

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 7, 2014 – The Association of American Railroads (AAR) issued the following statement in response to an Emergency Order issued today by the U.S. Department of Transportation requiring all railroads operating trains containing large amounts of Bakken crude oil to notify State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) about these shipments.

“Freight railroads have for years worked with emergency responders and personnel to educate and inform them about the hazardous materials moving through their communities. These open and transparent communications will continue as railroads do all they can to comply with the Department of Transportation’s Emergency Order.”

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[CNJRoss]

The New York Times, 5/7:

U.S. Issues Safety Alert for Oil Trains

Calling the movement of crude oil by rail an “imminent hazard” to the public, the federal Department of Transportation said on Wednesday that railroads would be required to notify local emergency responders whenever oil shipments traveled through their states.

The emergency order follows a spate of accidents that have raised concerns about the safety of the trains that carry increasing amounts of crude oil from the Bakken region of North Dakota across the United States.

It said railroads with trains that carry more than one million gallons of Bakken crude, the equivalent of about 35 tank cars, must provide state emergency commissions with detailed information about their shipments within the 30 days of the emergency order. Typically, oil trains carry 100 cars or more.

SNIP

Many states, including New York, Oregon and Minnesota, and cities like Seattle have urged railroads to provide more information about their shipments, something the industry has resisted so far, invoking protections from state oversight afforded by federal commerce rules.


Global Partners, which operates a rail yard in Albany, will require safer cars for crude oil.

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[CNJRoss]

Bloopmberg Businessweek, 5/8:

The Government Takes a Weak Stab at Making Oil Trains Safer

On Wednesday, a week after a train loaded with crude oil from North Dakota exploded in downtown Lynchburg, Va., dumping 30,000 gallons of oil into the James River, the Department of Transportation announced two moves to try to keep this from happening so frequently. It’s doubtful that either will make much of a difference in preventing what’s become a major safety hazard in the U.S.

SNIP

Knowing these trains are coming might help the local fire and police departments prepare, but unless these local emergency teams get better equipment to deal with these fires, it’s unclear how much good any advance notice will do. And considering how frequently these trains are crisscrossing the country, you can’t evacuate town every time an oil train rumbles through. Prior notification will, however, give a heads up to all the local officials, who have been largely clueless about all the oil that’s getting transported by rail through their cities and towns. Last week, Lynchburg’s city manager, Kimball Payne, admitted to the Wall Street Journal that he had no idea that CSX was moving oil through town.

Read more here.