#ICYMI: Wolf issues oil train safety report

Gov. Tom Wolf's administration recently released a report featuring 27 recommendations to improve safety on Pennsylvania rail routes carrying Bakken crude oil. The report was prepared by Dr. Allan Zarembski, an expert on railroad engineering and safety from the University of Delaware. The report’s recommendations address what railroad companies and the commonwealth can do to reduce the risk of a crude-by-rail incident. 

While the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration is the only body with regulatory authority over railroads, Gov. Wolf has been vocal about the need to address crude-by-rail safety concerns. The administration’s state-level leadership on this issue is not surprising given that every week, 60 to 70 crude oil trains pass through Pennsylvania destined for refineries in Philadelphia and other locations in the region. About 705,000 Philadelphia-area residents live within a half-mile potential evacuation zone around railroad routes used to ship crude oil.

Photo: NBC10 Screenshot

What’s more, Philadelphians have had two close calls in recent history with train derailments. 

Earlier this year, a partial oil train derailment occurred in south Philadelphia, shutting down traffic along I-95. In January 2014, a train carrying Bakken crude derailed on a railroad bridge that crosses the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. Fortunately, there were no injuries and no immediate environmental impacts. 

However, as Philadelphia contemplates its own energy future, it's important that we discuss the potential safety implications of routing crude oil trains through on our densely populated urban area. 

Katie Bartolotta is southeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Philadelphia. She tweets @KatieBartolotta.  

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.

Pittsburgh, a resilient city

Point State Park at Sunset

From steel, to collapse, to a diverse knowledge and health-based economy, Pittsburgh has come to embody the definition of a resilient city. Our growing economy alone doesn't make this the vibrant city that it is, however. Pittsburgh’s rivers, trees and the air we breathe impact our health and well being. As climate change exacerbates bad air on hot days and brings more intense storms and extreme cold, protecting our environment will mean protecting our neighborhoods. Smart policies and planning now can turn environmental threats into impetus for bolstering healthy and cohesive communities.

That is what the Rockefeller Foundation saw in our city when they selected Pittsburgh to be one of only 100 Resilient Cities, worldwide. 

100 Resilient Cities provides resources and guidance for an active network of urban hubs throughout the world. The first group of 32 cities began work in December 2013 and the second group was announced in December 2014. Of the 331 applications for the second round, Pittsburgh was one of 35 to be selected and PennFuture is thrilled to be part of the local collaboration to make our city stronger.

On June 6, we met with other stakeholders from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors for an agenda-setting workshop. The conversations were eclectic and electric, and centered around key urban concerns (both chronic and acute), many of which overlap with our environmental efforts, including:

• Infrastructure failure and flooding concerns (in addition to safety concerns, flooding equals raw sewage in our streams and rivers -- where we boat, swim and get our drinking water).
• Hazardous materials accidents (oil bomb trains, anyone?) 
• Heat waves (unhealthy ozone pollution is expected to get worse as summers get hotter)
• Significant environmental degradation (clean air, clean water and healthy land: the building blocks of life) 

With our own holistic mission to create a just future where nature, communities and the economy thrive, we at PennFuture are very excited about Pittsburgh’s participation in the 100 Resilient Cities effort. It makes sense and the time is ripe.

Nicole Catino is PennFuture's 2015 Student Conservation Association Green Cities Sustainability Fellow and is based in Pittsburgh.

Make your voice heard on environmental issues

On March 18, Philadelphia City Councilmember Blondell Reynolds Brown invited citizens and activists to participate in the “State of the Environment” hearing before Philadelphia City Council’s Committee on the Environment. Speakers participated on a series of four panels – oil train safety, water, air, and litter and trash.

The goal of the hearings was to bring forth solutions to address environmental issues in the City of Philadelphia, particularly solutions that can be initiated by City Council.
In representing PennFuture, I had the pleasure of testifying on the water panel alongside Clean Water Action and the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia. As a group, we tackled water quality as it relates to stormwater management, litter and trash issues, climate change adaptation, and oil train traffic. The full text of PennFuture’s testimony can be found here.

Opportunities like this serve as a reminder of the critical importance of publicly supporting issues of concern in our region. Elected officials need to hear from organizations, but they particularly need to hear from individuals on issues affecting our communities. You need not be an expert to have your voice heard.

So what environmental issues do you think are important to address?

• Improving the health of our waterways?

• Ensuring that every community in the city has access to green space?

• Monitoring trains carrying crude oil through our neighborhoods?

• Getting litter out of our streets and waterways?

• Protecting vulnerable people and places from the effects of climate change?

Let us know! PennFuture supporters are active citizens -- whether it’s by sending online action alerts, attending public events, or testifying before elected bodies. To get involved, sign up to volunteer or become a member today.

Katie Bartolotta is southeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Philadelphia. She tweets @KatieBartolotta.

Boom: Applying lessons learned to our own energy future

From InsideClimate News:

On July 6, 2013, a train carrying volatile crude oil from North Dakota exploded in the Canadian town of Lac-Megantic, killing 47 people and incinerating the downtown. Since then, three oil trains have exploded on the U.S. side of the border, where the surge in domestic oil production now sends millions of trainloads of crude through cities and small towns.  

The Weather Channel and InsideClimate News teamed up to investigate the problem of exploding railcars in "Boom: America's Explosive Oil-by-Rail Problem." The documentary accompanies an investigation by reporters Marcus Stern and Sebastian Jones, who explain why federal regulations to protect the public have been stalled by the railroads and the oil industry.

"Boom: America's Explosive Oil-by-Rail Problem" is a ten-minute documentary borne of an investigative effort by the Weather Channel and InsideClimate News. The documentary highlights the tragic crude train explosion in Lac-Megantic as a cautionary tale for Americans in the wake of increased domestic oil production and, effectively, increased crude-by-rail traffic.

This topic shouldn't be new to Philadelphians who had a close call with a crude oil derailment in January of this year. As Philadelphia contemplates its own energy future, it's important that we discuss the potential safety implications on our densely populated urban area.

The full video can be found here.

Katie Bartolotta is PennFuture's Philadelphia outreach coordinator and is based in Philadelphia. She tweets @KatieBartolotta.