Coming to a town near you: Crude-by-Rail

[Oscar]

More Oil Train Derailments Less Action

[ http://www.manitobawildlands.org/news_i ... umber=2233 ]

Manitoba Wildlands March 20, 2015

Transport Canada needs to ensure it has enough safety inspectors to oversee the rail transportation of dangerous goods, a Canadian House of Commons committee recommended these steps among 10 recommended in a report from the House Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, which examined how dangerous material is moved by all modes of transport.

The recommendations come in the wake of the 2013 Lac-Mégantic rail disaster in which 47 were killed, but also as small Canadian communities grapple with three train derailments in the last month. A recent incident occurred when 13 train cars derailed near the small community of Gregg in southern Manitoba, about 50 kilometres east of Brandon. Canadian National Rail (CN) reported that some refinery cracking stock was spilled but there was no threat to public safety. On Saturday, a second recent derailment near Gogoma, Ont., caused a rail-car fire and some oil spilled into a nearby river system.

Rail-safety officials said they would not be pursuing an investigation into a derailment that spilled 30,000 litres of a petroleum product on farmland near Carberry.

CN, which operated the train, gave no further details on what investigators have found so far since the 13 cars carrying a type of bitumen left the track the evening of March 11.

The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) described the accident as a "Class 5 occurrence," meaning there will be no further review for "possible safety analysis, statistical reporting, or archival purposes." A TSB spokesman gave no cause for the derailment.

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No investigation into derailment - March 14, 2015 Winnipeg Free Press
[ http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/ ... 06401.html ]

More rail inspectors needed, Commons committee says - March 12, 2015 Ottawa Citizen
[ http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/ ... ittee-says ]

Oil, rail industries ‘playing Russian roulette’ with lives, group says after CN Rail and BNSF crude train derailments - March 9, 2015 Financial Post
[ http://business.financialpost.com/2015/ ... railments/ ]

Train carrying crude oil derails near Gogama, Ont. - March 7, 2015 CBC News
[ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/t ... -1.2985703 ]

TSB says new standards for rail tankers inadequate - February 23, 2015 CBC News
[ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/t ... -1.2967621 ]

[Oscar]

Council of Canadians calls on CN Rail to lift court injunction against First Nations protesters

[ http://canadians.org/media/council-cana ... protesters ]

Media Release April 18, 2015

KENORA – The Council of Canadians is calling on CN Rail to lift its court injunction against Judy DaSilva of the Asubpeeschoseewagong (Grassy Narrows) First Nation. CN originally sought the injunction to prevent Ms. DaSilva and members of the Grassy Narrows Women’s Drum Group from conducting a ceremony on its main line in protest of potential accidents from the dozens of crude oil tank cars that pass by each week.

In recent weeks, derailments involving these tank cars have caused large fires and significant water pollution in Northern Ontario.

“Maintaining an injunction against Judy DaSilva is an intimidation tactic on the part of CN,” said Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians. “Attempting to silence dissent and the voices of those who want to protect our waters through court injunctions is unconscionable.”

On Wednesday, the Grassy Narrows Women’s Drum Group hosted an Anishinabe Water Ceremony next to the main CN Rail line in their community along with other supporters and legendary Anishinabe water protector, Josephine Mandamin. On Thursday, the CN injunction was extended with another court date set for May 14. - 30 -

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[ http://canadians.org/action/letter-editor ]


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Cell: (613) 796-7724
Office: (613) 233-4487, ext. 226
E-mail: sdey@canadians.org

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Council of Canadians calls for immediate halt to crude shipments after derailments and explosions near Gogama, Ontario - March 9, 2015
[ http://canadians.org/media/council-cana ... sions-near ]
The Council of Canadians is calling on the federal government to immediately halt rail shipments of crude oil in Canada following a series of derailments and explosions. These incidents all involved new rail tank cars promoted by federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt as being safer than those that exploded in Lac Mégantic, killing 47 people. [ . . . ]

[Oscar]

Yet Another Oil Bomb Train Explosion Proves New Regulations Fail to Protect Us

[ http://ecowatch.com/2015/05/06/bomb-tra ... 5-85909581 ]

Cole Mellino | May 6, 2015 2:33 pm | Comments

The town of Heimdal, North Dakota was evacuated this morning after yet another train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded. A BNSF Railway oil train derailed around 7:30 a.m., setting at least 10 oil tanker cars on fire. No injuries or fatalities have been reported.[ http://www.valleynewslive.com/home/head ... 54661.html ]

“The tank cars involved in the incident are the unjacketed CPC-1232 models,” BNSF spokesperson Amy McBeth told Valley News Live. These newer tank cars are suppose to be safer than older models, but the four oil train accidents in the first three months of 2015 all involved the newer cars, according to Common Dreams. [ http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/0 ... derailment ]

“Again another derailment and explosion of a train carrying crude. Again another community evacuated and its people counting their blessings this didn’t happen half a mile down the track in the middle of town,” said Earthjustice attorney Kristen Boyles. “Under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) new rules, the type of oil tank cars that are burning in Heimdal will stay on the rails for five to eight years. DOT’s new industry-pleasing rule is too weak and too slow. We need to get these exploding death trains off the tracks now.”

Last week, the DOT released new oil-by-train safety standards, but many environmental groups believe the standards are not strong enough and “leave communities at risk of catastrophe.” The Center for Biological Diversity is one of the groups calling for a moratorium on these so-called “bomb trains.”

“We will continue to see these fiery derailments even with the new regulations in place, because they fail to take sufficient actions to prevent oil trains wrecks,” said Jared Margolis, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. “As this accident demonstrates, people, wildlife, rivers and lakes will continue to pay the price for the government’s failure to take steps to adequately protect us from these dangerous oil trains.”

Oil train derailments have become more and more frequent in recent years across North America, as oil shipments via rail have increased. [ http://ecowatch.com/2014/12/19/crude-by ... mmunities/ ]