Rep. Ron Kind Applauds Move to Make Crude Oil Transport Safer

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) praised the recent Department of Transportation (DOT) decision requiring railroads to notify local emergency responders whenever oil shipments travel through their states and urging railroads to use safer rail cars to ship oil.

"Across Wisconsin and in communities across the nation, more and more attention is being paid to rail safety and the impact of derailments and fuel spills," said Rep. Kind."The amount of crude oil moving through Wisconsin on trains continues to increase, and I commend the DOT for taking this step forward. Now we need to find ways to get this information out to the community at large, to make sure everyone is in the loop about what's being shipped through our neighborhoods."

The emergency order and safety advisory was sent to all railroads, requiring them to take new safety precautions when transporting Bakken crude oil. It states that trains carrying more than one million gallons of the oil (equal to about 35 tank cars) are required to give detailed information about the shipments to the relevant state emergency commissions within 30 days of the emergency order. The information required includes the number of trains on the rails each week and which counties each train will pass through. Previously, no such requirement existed.

In addition to notifying local first responders about crude shipments, the railroads are also being urged to use cars with "the highest level of integrity in their fleet" when shipping the oil.

"Several recent incidents involving train derailments and fuel spills, including a recent diesel spill in southeastern Wisconsin, have raised concerns that more preparation and communication is needed to keep communities safe," concluded Rep. Kind. "This emergency order is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to reduce the occurrence and minimize the impact of derailments."

Source