October 9, 2014

 

WASHINGTON— In the face of a dramatic spike in the amount of oil transported by rail and a series of fiery derailments, the U.S. Department of Transportation revealed today that most emergency response organizations won’t have enough resources or trained personnel to contain a large oil spill or fire likely to result from the more than 1 billion of gallons of crude oil now shipped by rail every year.

 

A guide for emergency response to oil train derailments released by DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration states that “In the event of an incident that may involve the release of thousands of gallons of product and ignition of tank cars of crude oil in a unit train, most emergency response organizations will not have the available resources, capabilities or trained personnel to safely and effectively extinguish a fire or contain a spill of this magnitude.”

 

 

This summer 500,000 people in Toledo had their drinking water cut off due to a toxic algae bloom in Lake Erie. That led 40 million people, who receive their drinking water from the Great Lakes, to question the quality of their drinking water and whether it was at risk. The Clean Water Act of 1972 had been remarkably successful at cleaning up the Great Lakes by imposing tough regulations to control pollution from industry and waste treatment plants. But one area of pollution was left unregulated, agricultural runoff. Elizabeth Brackett details the latest efforts to protect the Great Lakes drinking water.

 

To combat the growing pollution problem, nonprofit organization Everglades Foundation promises a lofty prize to scientists who can develop a technological solution. Last week, the organization joined Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Cities Initiative to announce, "The Grand Challenge," a $10 million science prize to anyone who can successfully develop and execute a process to remove excess phosphorus from waterways. 

 

What is the Grand Prize Challenge?

 

The Everglades Foundation is looking to find technological solutions to removing excess phosphorous from lakes. We decided we would create a $10 million multi-year prize competition for this problem. We’re hoping this competition will bring technology innovation to the market. We’re excited for this and hope we can come to a breakthrough. The technology will be tested in warm and cold water. The winner has to prove that it works in cold climates. This is not a prize centered on a specific region, state, or water body. This is a global problem that needs a global solution. Government can’t do it alone.

 

Railroad stocks plunged Tuesday after a Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) train carrying oil derailed in Saskatchewan, and two cars carrying petroleum distillate caught on fire.

 

Oil shipments by rail are on the rise amid the shale oil boom and delays over the Keystone pipeline decision. Meantime, coal shipments are declining, and railroads are eager to take on the extra freight to offset the loss.

But increased crude-by-rail shipments have come with growing safety concerns after several high-profile crashes.

 

SEATTLE (AP) - Citing deadly risks associated with increasing volatile shipments of crude oil through Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday said the state and federal governments need to take swift action to prevent and respond to oil spills.

 

The governor likened an oil train explosion to "a bomb" going off, and said he's concerned that local emergency responders, particularly in smaller communities along rail lines, aren't adequately prepared to respond to accidents.

 

Derailments of oil trains have caused explosions in several states and Quebec, where 47 people were killed when a runaway train exploded in Lac-Megantic in July 2013.

 

"We don't want a chance for that to happen in our state," Inslee said at a news conference, where he released preliminary results of a state study on the safety and environmental risks of oil transport.

 

The study recommends more railroad inspectors, more money for the state's oil spill response and prevention program, boosting firefighting and oil-spill equipment and ensuring that those who transport oil can pay for cleanup.