Rail transport safety is at the forefront of many minds as of late, ever since the tragic oil train derailing on Saturday, July 6 in Lac-Megantic, Quebec that claimed the lives of at least 50 people.
Cleanup of the site, which was described as a “war zone” by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, will be ongoing for months, no doubt, as will the investigation into its causes. In the meantime, and for the rest of their lives, there is only grief for those who lost loved ones when the U.S. Railways oil train derailed and five of its cars exploded.
Our sympathies are extended to those who lost family, friends and property in the tragedy, in this area of Quebec that is so near and dear to the hearts of many whose families originally hail from there.
As always, it seems to be human nature to wait until a tragedy happens to make significant changes that improve safety for ourselves and our environment. This devastating explosion is certainly a loud wake-up call to the potential danger of transporting mass amounts of oil via rail. We’ve already seen the dangers of transporting it by sea, as all of us can recall images of oil-streaked beaches and coated seabirds.
Indeed, some environmentalists such as the Sierra Club are calling this event out as a perfect example of why we should abandon fossil fuels and their associated dangers altogether. Whatever one’s position on that, there’s no denying that it’s a long ways off ”“ if it ever does happen ”“ and more safety measures should be put in place in the meantime as we continue to use oil to satiate our considerable hunger for energy.
What’s interesting is that rail transport of oil has grown considerably in the past few years, unbeknownst to those of us who live, shop or work close to the tracks. According to a recent Associated Press report, the number of train cars carrying crude oil on major railroads has jumped nearly 20-fold since 2009, to an estimated 200,000 last year. Pipelines are few, so the oil is usually shipped via rail to refineries.
Both the Association of Oil Pipe Lines and the Association of American Railroads say they have a 99.9 percent safety rate for hazardous materials reaching their destination without incident. It’s hard to tell which is safer, without an independent study, but anyone can see that a barreling train hauling 73 tankers worth of oil through a bustling downtown area is much more threatening than a remote pipeline.
The tragedy in Quebec has highlighted debate over the proposed 1,700-mile Keystone project, which would create a pipeline to carry oil derived from tar sands in western Canada to refineries in Texas. While tar sand oil extraction has its own issues, it’s worth noting that pipeline can be laid in areas away from sensitive environmental sites and high population areas, and have much less risk of catastrophic failure, from derailment to human error or wear and tear. The fatal disaster in Quebec was already the fourth freight train accident this year in Canada involving crude oil shipments, according to the AP.
We won’t be weaned off oil for a long time, no doubt, and both pipelines and rail will be used to keep people in both Canada and the U.S. well-supplied. We’re glad to see that Gov. Paul LePage has been joined by Reps. Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree in directing state and federal officials to review the nation’s rail infrastructure and safety reports, as well as make any necessary changes to improve safety.
The state reps, in their letter to the feds, noted three derailments of trains carrying hazardous materials in Maine within the last three months.
Trains won’t be rerouted at this point, and their cargo will most likely not be reduced, but whatever strategies can be implemented to improve safety should be done as soon as possible. It would not only give us all a little more peace of mind when an oil train comes barreling through town, but would honor the memory of those whose lives were lost last weekend in Quebec.
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Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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