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Railroads now required to tell states about oil trains

Workers remove damaged tanker cars along the tracks where several CSX tanker cars carrying crude oil derailed and caught fire along the James River near downtown Lynchburg, Va., last week. (Associated Press)
Paresh Dave Los Angeles Times
Workers remove damaged tanker cars along the tracks where several CSX tanker cars carrying crude oil derailed and caught fire along the James River near downtown Lynchburg, Va., last week. (Associated Press)

Calling a “startling” pattern of spills and fires an “imminent hazard,” the U.S. Department of Transportation took another small step Wednesday toward addressing the growing risks of shipping oil by rail from the North Dakota region to both coasts.

Trains carrying more than 35 tank-cars’ worth of especially volatile Bakken shale crude oil must now notify a state’s emergency management authority about shipments before passing through that state. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx also asked railroad operators to make a reasonable effort to start using newer tank cars less susceptible to damage.

The announcement comes days after as many as 30,000 gallons of crude oil burned or spilled into the James River in downtown Lynchburg, Virginia, following a derailment. Several other incidents over the last 12 months, including a 400,000-gallon spill in North Dakota, have escalated fears over such rail shipments.

In Illinois, a spokeswoman for the state’s emergency management agency said it was still reviewing the new order. “But we always welcome more information that would help our first responders,” Patti Thompson said.

The CSX Transportation train that derailed in Virginia had come through Chicago. Thompson said Illinois authorities have a login to CSX’s live dashboard of train shipments, giving them quick access to information in emergencies. But Illinois doesn’t have deals with other rail carriers, such as BNSF.

Neither CSX nor BNSF responded to requests for comment Wednesday.

Companies that fail to follow the new notification requirement face fines of up to $175,000 for each violation. The new order still does not require public notification of rail shipments, but does start to address the concern of some local lawmakers who’ve said communities deserve to know about dangerous cargo.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the order a “crucial first step” that “opens the door for life-saving info to be shared with local first responders.”

New rail car standards are under federal review. Foxx has suggested that the moves being made in the interim are the best possible. In recent months, federal officials have pushed rail carriers to slow down trains in sensitive areas and avoid urban areas altogether when shipping crude.