U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., called on the departments of Transportation and Energy to finish and quickly implement rules mandating that crude oil be made less volatile before being shipped across the country by rail.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., is calling on the Department of Transportation (USDOT) and Department of Energy (DOE) to finish and quickly implement rules mandating that crude oil be made less volatile before being shipped across the country by rail.
The statement from Schumer came one week after another destructive incident involving a train collision in his home state of New York. A CSX Corp. train derailed in Rockland County last Wednesday after striking a car carrier trailer that was stuck on the tracks at the New Main Street and Route 9W crossing.
Although the train was not carrying crude oil and no injuries were reported, Schumer was quick to point out that the incident could have been much worse considering that stretch of track is often used by crude-by-rail trains, calling it a “sobering reminder that current regulations are out of whack.” According to the Federal Rail Administration, this particular route has been the site of six crashes between 1979 and 2004.
Current USDOT and DOE regulations do not require crude oil to be stabilized prior to shipment, which Schumer says makes violent explosions “far more likely” in New York State and across the country.
According to information from Inside Energy, when crude oil is extracted from the ground, it is laden with various kinds of natural gas liquids (NGLs) like propane and ethane. Oil stabilization entails removing those NGLs in order to make it less flammable and, therefore, safer to transport.
The process requires crude oil to be pumped into large cylinders called “heater-treaters” after being extracted, which heat the oil and separate out the NGLs. Oil companies point out that they already do this to some degree, and that there’s no way to transport NGLs once they’ve been separated from the oil.
“While this particular train was, fortunately, not carrying crude oil, this incident serves as yet another reminder of the dangers facing Rockland County every day. We dodged a bullet last week, but one day our luck is going to run out,” said Schumer. “We know many trains that rumble through the county are laden with oil, and that this oil is highly volatile. We must take steps now to make that oil less explosive because we know from accidents like Lac Magentic the disaster that can occur from derailments, especially in populated areas.
“Federal officials need to complete their review and fix these outdated regulations before that happens,” he added. “The alternative could be devastating.”
Schumer is one of several lawmakers that, along with regulators and environmental groups, have pushed for more stringent safety rules surrounding the transportation of crude oil from the Bakken formation by rail. Crude oil train derailments have been front of mind as volumes from the Bakken region have increased over the past several years. Due to its higher gas content and vapor pressure and lower flash point, Bakken crude is more flammable and volatile than traditional oil, making it particularly dangerous in the event of a derailment.
Since the July 2013 derailment of a crude oil train Lac-Mégantic, Quebec that claimed the lives of 47 people and caused significant damage to the city, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has advocated the phasing out of older, less reliable tank cars used in transporting crude oil. Legacy DOT-111 and CPC-1232 tank cars are thinner and more likely to puncture than the newer DOT-117 models, meaning that trains carrying flammable liquid in those tank cars run a higher risk of leaking and/or catching fire in the event of a derailment.
USDOT in July 2014 proposed a rule requiring railroads to either phase out or retrofit these cars with thicker shells within two years.
Last May, the Senate unanimously passed the Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation (RESPONSE) Act, which aims to provide additional training for first responders, specifically for handling freight train derailments that include hazardous materials such as crude oil.
And just last week, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released a report in which it said inspectors have discovered nearly 24,000 defects on roughly 58,000 miles of rail routes used to transport crude oil in 44 states as part of a targeted inspection program that began in January 2015. Defects found included worn rails, broken or loose bolts, and cracked steel bars, any of which could cause a derailment under certain circumstances.
Rockland County Executive Ed Day, Director of Rockland County Emergency Services Gordon Wren, Haverstraw Supervisor Howard Phillips, Mayor Michael Kohut, and impacted business owner Bill Stein joined Schumer in calling on federal agencies to expedite the requirements.
“Railroad safety has been a long-standing major concern for me and everyone living in Rockland,” said Day. “We are thankful that Senator Schumer shares our concerns and joins us in advocating for stronger safety measures. There are numerous freight trains carrying highly flammable Bakken oil through Rockland County every day. We need legislation on both the state and federal level to make sure that the rail cars are the safest, most up to date available and the trains are moving at a safe speed.”
Sen. Schumer calls for crude stabilization mandate following CSX derailment
