More Oil Spilled from Trains in 2013 than in Previous 4 Decades, Federal Data Shows
WASHINGTON — More crude oil
was spilled in U.S. rail incidents last year than was spilled in the
nearly four decades since the federal government began collecting data
on such spills, an analysis of the data shows.
Including major
derailments in Alabama and North Dakota, more than 1.15 million gallons
of crude oil was spilled from rail cars in 2013, according to data from
the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
By
comparison, from 1975 to 2012, U.S. railroads spilled a combined 800,000
gallons of crude oil. The spike underscores new concerns about the
safety of such shipments as rail has become the preferred mode for oil
producers amid a North American energy boom.
The federal data does
not include incidents in Canada where oil spilled from trains. Canadian
authorities estimate that more than 1.5 million gallons of crude oil
spilled in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, on July 6, when a runaway train
derailed and exploded, killing 47 people. The cargo originated in North
Dakota.
Nearly 750,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from a train
on Nov. 8 near Aliceville, Ala. The train also originated in North
Dakota and caught fire after it derailed in a swampy area. No one was
injured or killed.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration doesn’t yet have spill data from a Dec. 30 derailment
near Casselton, N.D. But the National Transportation Safety Board, which
is the lead investigator in that incident, estimates that more than
400,000 gallons of crude oil were spilled there. Though no one was
injured or killed, the intense fire forced most of Casselton’s 2,400
residents to evacuate in subzero temperatures.
The Association of
American Railroads, an industry group, estimates that railroads shipped
400,000 carloads of crude oil last year. That’s more than 11.5 billion
gallons, with one tank car holding roughly 28,800 gallons.
Last
year’s total spills of 1.15 million gallons means that 99.99 percent of
shipments arrived without incident, close to the safety record the
industry and its regulators claim about hazardous materials shipments by
rail.
But until just a few years ago, railroads weren’t carrying
crude oil in 80- to 100-car trains. In eight of the years between 1975
and 2009, railroads reported no spills of crude oil. In five of those
years, they reported spills of one gallon or less.
In 2010,
railroads reported spilling about 5,000 gallons of crude oil, according
to federal data. They spilled fewer than 4,000 gallons each year in 2011
and 2012. But excluding the Alabama and North Dakota derailments, more
than 11,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from trains last year.
Last
week, the principal Washington regulators of crude oil shipments by
rail met with railroad and oil industry representatives to discuss
making changes to how crude is shipped by rail, from tank car design to
operating speed to appropriate routing. Transportation Secretary Anthony
Foxx called the meeting productive and said the group would take a
comprehensive approach to improving the safety of crude-oil trains.
Foxx said the changes would be announced within the next 30 days
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