If concern over oil shipments by rail seems relatively recent, that’s because it is.
Up until 2011, the vast bulk of crude oil moving through the state to refineries in Western Washington and the West Coast — about 90 percent — was delivered by marine tankers. Another 10 percent or so moved by pipeline. Since then, more oil, specifically volatile Bakken crude from North Dakota, Montana and Canada, and bitumen from Alberta’s tar sands, has also been arriving by rail, 714 million gallons in 2013 — about 8 percent of the total — leaping to as much as 3 billion gallons by the end of this year, according to a story Tuesday by the Associated Press. Many of those trains, at least 10 a week as of this June, already rumble through Snohomish County cities on their way to refineries in Anacortes and Cherry Point.
More than a decade ago, the concern and attention on spill prevention was on the oil tankers making their way along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Rosario Strait and Admiralty Inlet into Puget Sound. While tankers continue to handle the largest share, the amount sent by rail is likely to keep growing, especially as the Bakken boom continues. And it’s why attention is now shifting to rail safety.
On Monday, the state departments of Ecology, Transportation, other state agencies and the Federal Railroad Administration, presented their draft findings and recommendations to the Legislature. A final report, requested by the Legislature, is expected in March.
Although some recommendations won’t require funding, others, the Associated Press noted, could total more than $14 million for the next two-year budget. And while some of that will likely come out of the state’s general fund, the report also recommends changes to railroad regulatory fees, putting at least some of the costs for additional safety precautions on the railroad and the oil companies.
The recommendations seek to bolster the state’s spill prevention and response program, hire additional Federal Railroad Administration-certified inspectors, enhance and ensure a continued supply of spill-response equipment for local fire departments and increase access for inspectors to railroad crossings on private roads and strengthen financial responsibility certificates that ensures those transporting oil can pay for damage and cleanup costs following a spill.
Also to follow will be improved federal standards for oil rail cars and other safety rules.
Just as increased scrutiny on marine tankers resulted in additional tug escorts and other safety measures more than a decade ago, the recommendations suggested in the study will decrease the possibility of a rail disaster and improve the response and cleanup in the event of a spill.
Certainly, $14 million in the next budget is just the beginning of what will need to be spent in coming years as more oil moves by rail, but it’s a drop in the barrel compared to the costs to property and our environment following a spill or to lives in the event of a much worse disaster.
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