Page 6 - Flathead Beacon // 1.22.13

6 | JANUARY 29, 2014 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM

NTSB Recommends Tough Safety

READER Rules For Oil Trains

POLL

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
BNSF supports

recommendations after

Are You Concerned About the one of its trains
Increase in Oil Train Traic?
carrying crude derailed

and exploded

By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon

Less than a month after an explosive
train derailment in North Dakota, federal
investigators are calling for tougher safe-
60% YES 40% NO ty standards on trains carrying crude oil,
some of which travel through the Flathead
TOTAL VOTES: 202
Valley every day. On Jan. 23, the National
Transportation Safety Board, in coordina-
tion with the Transportation Safety Board A BNSF Railway oil train heads west near Browning.
Who are You Rooting for in the of Canada, issued a series of recommenda- JUSTIN FRANZ | FLATHEAD BEACON
tions, including having oil trains routed Matthew Rose told the Dallas Business “We look forward to working with our cus-
Super Bowl?
around populated areas.
Journal that his railroad would move 1 tomers, the regulatory agencies and the
“The large-scale shipment of crude oil- million barrels of crude oil every day by communities we serve, to make sure that

by-rail simply didn’t exist 10 years ago,” the end of this year. According to a BNSF rail continues to be the safest mode of sur-
said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hers- spokesperson, the railroad operates one face transportation, particularly for haz-
man. “While this energy boom is good for crude oil train every day through the Flat- ardous materials.”
business, the people and the environment head Valley to reineries in Washington According to various reports, railroads
along rail corridors must be protected and Oregon.
spilled more crude oil in 2013 than the pre-
from harm.”
The NTSB issued three recommenda- vious 37 years combined. However, 99 per-
Since July 2013, there have been ive tions to the Federal Railroad Administra- cent of all hazardous materials shipped by
51% SEA 49% DEN major derailments involving crude oil in tion and Pipeline and Hazardous Mate- rail still arrived at their destination with-

TOTAL VOTES: 170
North America. On July 6, 47 people were rials Safety Administration, including a out incident; a igure that shows just how
killed and 30 buildings leveled in Lac requirement for railroads to route trains much more crude oil is traveling by rail
Megantic, Quebec, Canada, after an un- around populated or sensitive areas; to now than in the past.
manned train derailed and exploded near develop a program to ensure that rail- Whiteish Fire Department Chief Tom
Should Montana Comply with the downtown area. The railroad involved road companies moving crude oil have Kennelly said the recent oil train accidents
the Federal REAL ID Act?
later went bankrupt and on Jan. 21 was adequate response plans for accidents; have brought the issue of rail safety to the
sold at auction. On Dec. 30, a BNSF Rail- and have tank cars built to tougher stan- forefront. However, Kennelly said his de-
way oil train ran into a derailed grain train dards so they do not puncture during a partment, and others in the Flathead Val-

and exploded in Casselton, N.D. No one derailment. According to the Association ley, have completed extensive training
was injured in the blast, but the town was of American Railroads, there are roughly with BNSF on how to respond to a chemi-
evacuated because of toxic fumes.
92,000 tank cars moving lammable mate- cal spill or accident. He said the recom-
The movement of crude oil by rail has rials, but only 14,000 cars are built to cur- mendations from the NTSB are a reassur-
grown dramatically in recent years, espe- rent standards.
ance that federal regulators are taking the
cially out of the Bakken oil ields of North In a statement to the Beacon, BNSF issue seriously.
30YES 70NO Dakota. In 2008, Class 1 railroads, which spokesperson Matt Jones said the rail- “I know that this is a concern for the
% %
TOTAL VOTES: 114
include the largest railroad companies road industry has already started to take community, but they should be reassured
in America, moved just 9,500 carloads of actions to make sure that crude oil can be that the ire department is well trained
crude oil. Five years later, in 2013, they moved safely.
and we are ready to deal with incidents
were projected to move 400,000 carloads. “Our safety vision has long been that with hazardous materials,” Kennelly said.
ONLINE POLL RESULTS ARE NOT SCIENTIFIC
Late last year, BNSF executive chairman
every accident is preventable,” Jones said.
[email protected]

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