Committee Releases Bills for Clean-Up Plans for Bakken Oil Trains

The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee released S1883 (Weinberg), which requires operators carrying Bakken crude shipments to have discharge response, cleanup, and contingency plans to transport certain hazardous materials by rail. Previous Bakken train derailments have led to train cars setting on fire, homes being destroyed, forced evacuations of entire towns, threatened water supplies, and human casualties. Governor Christie vetoed this bill when it was originally passed and an attempt for an override was made.

“This is an important bill to help prevent disasters from these trains. Towns need to have contingency plans in place to clean up and minimize the risk. When a train carrying Bakken crude oil derails, it is a disaster. If it happened in New Jersey, it would be a tragedy of epic proportions. That is why we need this legislation. We need to make sure there are response and emergency plans if something happens with one of these rail cars at a moment’s notice. These response plans will allow the public to be informed, especially ahead of time to help prepare for an emergency. With up to 50 trains per week going through our communities, we cannot afford to play Russian Roulette with our environment and our people,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

There has been a rise in Bakken Crude oil being shipped to Northeast refineries. There is a new report by the EIA showing a 1300% increase of train cars carrying crude oil into the Northeast since September of 2017. Annual rail shipments from PADD 2 (Midwestern sources) to PADD 1 (Northeast sources) of crude oil peaked in 2014 and 2015 at 1.2 billion gallons however declined in 2017 at 75.6 million gallons. New EIA data shows Northeast refiners expended 3.1 million barrels in March of 2018 and 101,000 barrels per day. This is 3,832train cars per month and 124 train cars a day transporting oil into the Northeast. This is a huge increase of crude oil transported through traincompared to September when the Northeast consumed only 244,000 gallons of crude oil, which equivalent to 297 train cars in that month.

“We are seeing an explosion in the number of train cars carrying Bakken crude oil coming through New Jersey and we hope they don’t explode. There has been a 1300% increase in the number of train cars carrying crude oil into the Northeast in the last 5 months. If an accident like in Lac-Megantic happens in New Jersey, 100s of people could be killed. More trains coming through means that risk goes up. Previous Bakken train derailments have led to train cars setting on fire, homes being destroyed, forced evacuations of entire towns, threatened water supplies, and human casualties,” said Jeff Tittel.

Casualties as a result of train derailments and explosions have been noticed across North America. In 2013, 80 tanker cars carrying crude oil in Lac-Megantic, Quebec killed 47 people. Three other accidents happened in 2013 occurred when a tank car were derailed or hit by another train. In March, another train derailment carrying crude oil occurred in Galena, Illinois. The eight-rail crash ignited flames have been reported to be seen for miles. These trains pose a threat to our safety and drinking water.

“There are 2,400 miles of freight tracks in New Jersey and hundreds of trains a year and now over 70 a month are coming through the state. These trains cut through densely populated communities like Somerville, Camden, Oradell, West Trenton, Paulsboro, and Newark.  It’s not if a disaster occurs; it is a matter of when. That’s why these cars should be banned. The devastating incidents across the country raise many concerns regarding the transportation of the dangerous Bakken crude whether by rail, barge, or pipeline through New Jersey,” said Tittel. “These communities are completely unaware about what is traveling through their towns and how to handle a potential devastating accident. Communities are burden with all the risk, while the companies reap all the monetary benefit; the polluters should be the one to pay for their messes. We need to get rid of these dangerous cars altogether and move to a clean energy future.”

North Dakota Bakken Shale oil is one of the most explosive types of oil in the world. One quart of oil contaminates one million gallons of water and one rail car carries 34,500 gallons of oil. It is dangerous because volatile compounds are left in, instead of taken out because it would cost more to remove. Last summer, then-Gov. Chris Christie vetoed legislation that would have imposed greater disclosure requirements on railroads shipping crude oil through New Jersey after a lobbying effort from the state’s biggest freight haulers.

“We shouldn’t be playing Russian roulette with our towns because these trains cut through densely populated communities throughout the state. President Trump’s policies to rise gas prices are now making fossil fuels more financially viable. That is why it is so important that our state legislators and Governor support legislation like S.1883 and resist Trump’s rollbacks that will make it safer for the communities who have these dangerous train cars travelling through them every day,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.