Safety on the line

In the last two years, there have been more than 65 cases of tank cars bound for or arriving in the Philadelphia region, where approximately 700,000 people live within a one-half mile potential evacuation zone around rail lines, that were “found to have loose, leaking or missing safety components” (ProPublica, Nov. 25, 2014). Similarly, more than 300,000 residents in the Pittsburgh region live within such a zone. Earlier this year, a train carrying oil derailed near downtown Philadelphia, shutting down traffic along I-95. And last year, a train carrying Bakken crude derailed over the Schuylkill River, near the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and the Schuylkill Expressway, one of the busiest roads in the state. Fortunately, there were no injuries and no immediate environmental impacts. However, there have been many similar incidents across Pennsylvania in recent years. While a Lac-Mégantic level emergency would be devastating for any Pennsylvania community, it would be catastrophic in cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Unfortunately, most municipalities, including Philadelphia, have yet to develop emergency plans appropriate to handle a Lac-Mégantic level crisis. But as the frequency of derailments increases, conversations about the safety of aging rail lines and bridges, as well as the train tanker cars used to transport oil through heavily populated areas, has increased as well.

As newly retrofitted refineries continue to expand capacity in Philadelphia, the risks become that much greater for all Pennsylvanians. As a result, we are afforded uncommon leverage because the risks are so widespread, effecting urban and rural communities, endangering the health, safety, and local economies of both Republican and Democratic districts. In this sense, we have a unique opportunity to build legislative consensus in Harrisburg as well as to engage municipalities in public discussions about emergency planning in their communities.

We can’t wait for a domestic Lac-Mégantic to prompt action on crude-by-rail safety. One of the most significant barriers toward establishing safeguards is the oil industry’s huge investment in rail and the rail industry’s dependence on DOT-111 tanker cars, which creates a system of financial dependence on an inherently unsafe mode of transit to recoup their investments, at least in the short-term. To be sure, these tanker cars are not being phased out as quickly as they should be. The challenges are compounded by sophisticated oil and rail industry lobbying efforts, targeting legislators and regulators, to push back against stricter laws and costly regulations.

PennFuture is committed to eliminating the safety risks associated with crude-by-rail transport. In Pennsylvania, there are too few government railroad inspectors, poor oversight of railroad bridges, a lack of transparency and minimal access to rail maintenance records, and insufficient penalties for regulatory violations.

As the number of derailments continues to increase, so do the chances of a catastrophic accident in Pennsylvania on a scale many times larger than the tragic events of Lac-Mégantic. But disaster need not be inevitable. With effective and transparent government oversight of rail lines and bridges as well as a ban on the use of outdated DOT-111 tanker cars for crude-by-rail, we can prevent the loss of life and the destruction of our environment.

Jay Andrews is PennFuture’s Director of Outreach and is based in Philadelphia.