Oil Trains

Day Of Action To Stop Extreme Energy Transport

July 7, 2015 Meaghan LaSala, Emma McCumber and Will Bennington. www.risingtidevermont.org Resist! climate crisis, Energy, Oil and Gas, Oil Trains

By Meaghan LaSala, Emma McCumber and Will Bennington for Rising Tide VT. Champlain Valley - Hundreds of people participated today in a coordinated series of actions across the Champlain valley -- including a blockade and lake flotilla -- demanding an end to extreme energy extraction and transport. Rallying behind the slogan “Not by truck, not by rail, not by pipeline,” participants denounced industry attempts to turn the Champlain valley into an energy corridor for fracked gas, oil, and tar sands which are driving climate change. In Addison County, Vermont, over forty organizers with TWAC (Trans* and/or Women's Action Camp) blocked trucks carrying fracked gas from making deliveries at the International Paper mill, resulting in five arrests. In Ticonderoga, New York, over 150 people participated in a symbolic oil train blockade and flotilla highlighting threats to the lake posed by the trains.

Oil Trains Don’t Have To Derail To Be Hazardous, Doctors Warn

June 11, 2015 Dahr Jamail, www.truth-out.org Educate! Oil & Gas, Oil Trains, Public Health, Transportation

By Dahr Jamail in Truthout - In May, hundreds of doctors, nurses and health-care professionals from Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) called on Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to take a stronger position against proposed oil-by-rail shipping terminals in their respective states, in order to insure the health and physical security of families and communities there. Washington PSR describes itself as a group that promotes "peace and health for the human community and the global ecosystem by empowering members, citizens and policy makers to develop and model for the rest of the nation socially just and life-enhancing policies regarding nuclear issues, climate change, environmental toxins, vulnerable populations and other risks to human health." The group has sounded the alarm over what it sees as a direct health threat to the country stemming from the oil-by-rail system.

Request To Haul Liquefied Natural Gas By Train Spurs Criticism

March 22, 2015 Russell Hubbard World-Herald News Service, www.lexch.com Educate! Gas, LNG Trains, Oil Trains

Union Pacific Railroad has applied for permission to haul liquefied natural gas, which would add another combustible cargo to a U.S. rail network already being criticized for transporting ethanol and crude oil through populated areas. The Omaha-based railroad said the application for a permit from the Federal Railroad Administration is in response to a request for liquefied natural gas transportation from an existing customer. Union Pacific operates 32,000 miles of track in the western United States, which is home to many natural gas production and storage installations. If Union Pacific is granted the permit, it would be a first. “The rail system in America was built to connect population centers, with trains going through every downtown in the country,” Scher said. “It was never designed to haul hazardous materials, and in fact, you could say that if you were to design a rail system for hazardous materials, the one we have is the opposite of the one you would design.” Scher said federal safety rules are already out of date for oil trains and their tank cars, with millions of gallons of oil a day riding the rails, up from nearly zero only five years ago, courtesy of skyrocketing production from new fields in Montana and North Dakota. “To entertain the idea of new and potentially more dangerous cargo makes no sense at all,” Scher said.

Exploding Trains And Crude Oil

March 10, 2015 John Flanders, www.counterpunch.org Educate! Environment, Oil & Gas, Oil Trains, Safety

On the eve of the first conference bringing together rail workers and environmentalists in Richmond, California, we’ve had one oil train after another go off the tracks and explode. The latest was in Ontario, Canada. According to a news report, “Ontario Provincial Police said the derailment happened near Gogama, Ont., around 2:45 a.m. Saturday morning, with some of the cars catching fire and others falling into the Mattagami River.” Environmentalists around the country have been protesting the “bomb trains” for several years now, but the 100 car unit trains are continuing to roll through hill and dale, towns and cities. Over a hundred years of the rail carriers influence in the halls of government make sure of this, up to now.

Rally Against Oil Trains’ Threat To Water

March 9, 2015 John Seasly, www.northjersey.com Resist! Energy, Environment, Oil & Gas, Oil Trains, Safety

In the wake of a spate of derailments nationwide, more than 100 protesters rallied near the Oradell Reservoir on Saturday, speaking out against the oil trains that pass across that mainstay of the region’s water supply. Every week, an estimated 15 to 30 trains carry as much as 3.6 million gallons of volatile crude oil from the Bakken region of North Dakota through eastern Bergen County. The line, which is owned by the transportation company CSX, passes through 11 Bergen County municipalities and across a neck of the reservoir, which is the water supply for 750,000 people in Bergen and Hudson counties. Coincidentally, a train carrying crude oil derailed in northern Ontario early Saturday, causing numerous tank cars to catch fire and spill into a river system, authorities in the Canadian province said.

Newsletter: Transforming Fundamental Power Inequities

February 21, 2015 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.PopularResistance.org Newsletter Climate Change, Corporatocracy, Cove Point, Energy, Environment, fast track, Fracking, Free Trade Agreements, Nonviolence, Oil & Gas, Oil Trains, Seneca Lake, TPP, Trade

Most of the Popular Resistance team is in Cove Point, Maryland right now. Almost all are very likely to go to jail for several weeks after Monday's hearing for our efforts to stop the Dominion fracked gas export terminal at Cove Point. You can donate to the campaign here. Stopping this terminal is the key to stopping fracking on the east coast. The Calvert Commissioners have made a charade out of democracy. The government in Calvert County has kept the facts from the public. Before letting the public know of the plan to build the terminal they entered into a secrecy agreement with Dominion so the public has been kept in the dark. In the first hearing on the terminal, the County Attorney wrote the agenda: take public testimony, close the record and vote for the proposal. The proposal was for massive tax breaks for Dominion and waiver of zoning requirements. The latter turned out to be unconstitutional. Protests and civil resistance are the only avenues left to stop the Dominion terminal. This is literally a life and death situation for a community of 44,000 people; hundreds, probably more than a thousand lives, will be shortened and diseases that are not common now, will become common.

Oil Train Derailment Shows Need For Action

February 18, 2015 Center for Biological Diversity, www.biologicaldiversity.org Resist! Environment, Law, Oil Spill, Oil Trains, Social Change

An oil train transporting highly volatile crude oil derailed and caught fire today in Fayette County, W.V., spewing burning oil into the Kanawha River and setting a house ablaze, forcing the evacuation of two nearby communities and threatening municipal drinking water supplies. The accident, which follows a similar derailment and explosion in Timmins, Ontario on Saturday, is the latest in a string of fiery accidents involving oil trains in Canada and the United States in recent years following a 40-fold increase in crude oil transport by rail since 2008 that has been marked by no upgrade in federal safety requirements.

$200M Settlement Reached In Lac-Mégantic Rail Disaster

January 22, 2015 Educate! Lac-Mégantic, Oil & Gas, Oil Trains

Victims of the 2013 rail disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec have reached a major financial settlement with the railway involved. A U.S. lawyer who worked on the wrongful-death lawsuits says $200 million dollars will be distributed in settlement funds to families of those who died as well as other parties involved in the legal battle. Peter Flowers told The Canadian Press he expects the money to start flowing this summer, although the compensation package must still be approved by courts on both sides of the border. Keach said he's received commitments of about $200 million but hopes it will grow to $500 million. Several of the largest corporations with potential legal liability have not yet agreed to participate, he said. Three other companies — World Fuel Services, Canadian Pacific Railway and Irving Oil — have yet to contribute. "We will turn over every stone on earth before we give up on them and intend on pursuing them in Illinois and any other state to ensure they're brought to justice and held responsible for this disaster," Flowers said. The derailment in the town of 6,000 on July 6, 2013, set off several massive blasts, wiped out part of the downtown core and killed 47 people.

Why Oil Train Activists In Seattle Took Direct Action

September 8, 2014 Kevin Gosztola, www.dissenter.firedoglake.com Resist! Activists, Fossil Fuel, Oil Trains

Five residents from the Seattle area took direct action on September 2 and constructed a massive tripod that blocked trains transporting crude oil through a rail yard in Everett, Washington. The action was organized by the environmental action group, Rising Tide North America, and was initiated to call attention to the need to halt the transport of crude oil, which is at risk of explosions. All five individuals were arrested and face misdemeanor charges for putting their bodies on the line. Yet, they recognized that working to push elected officials to act by going through the standard political processes was not enough anymore. They hope other Americans come to this realization as well and learn they may need to make a bit of a sacrifice to ensure a survivable future on Earth. This week’s guests on the “Unauthorized Disclosure” podcast are Liz Spoerri, an assistant middle school teacher who has organized with environmental groups, and Patrick Mazza, a veteran climate activist who has been organizing for the last 15 years. Both Spoerri and Mazza were a part of the direct action they took against oil trains. They each share why they took the action and why they feel it is important for others, to take direct action as well.

Oil Train Halted By Mother Suspended Above The Tracks

September 3, 2014 Bill Moyer, www.BackboneCampaign.org Resist! Blockade, Energy, Environment, Gas, Oil, Oil Trains

Five local residents have stopped work at a Burlington Northern Santa-Fe Rail Yard in Everett by erecting a tripod structure on the outbound railroad tracks, directly in front of both a mile-long oil train and a coal train. Seattle resident Abby Brockway - a small business owner and mother - is suspended from the structure 18 feet above the tracks while four other residents are locked to the legs of the tripod. The group is demanding an immediate halt to all shipments of fossil fuels through the Northwest and calling on Governor Inslee to reject permits for all new fossil fuel projects in Washington, including proposed coal and oil terminals.

Popular Resistance Newsletter – Ferguson And Global Struggle For Justice

August 23, 2014 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.popularresistance.org Newsletter Climate Change, Criminal Justice and Prisons, Ferguson, Fracking, Gaza, Israel, Oil Trains, Palestine, Police abuse, Wars and Militarism

Since the killing of Michael Brown, Ferguson, MO has been the epicenter of struggle and resistance. The same city where Dred Scott challenged slavery has become the place of awakening for current racial oppression. Ferguson exposed the reality of militarized and racist policing and created a teachable moment for the nation. The sad reality for many who have studied or lived US history is the killing of African Americans is not new. For decades it has led to both protests and more police violence. The failure to confront this reality is a critical example of a what Thomas Adams describes as a dysfunctional nation in political decay. But, Ferguson is an epicenter for a global struggle as we see in Israel, Gaza, over climate justice and over weapons and war. There is a lot happening on all fronts as we report here.

Public Pressure Stops Plan To Ship Crude Oil Through Hudson Bay

August 17, 2014 Chinta Puxley, www.ctvnews.ca Resist! Energy, Environment, Oil, Oil Trains

Omnitrax had argued the plan to transport oil across hundreds of kilometres of remote rail line built on permafrost was safe and would help create much-needed jobs in the North. But the proposal was vehemently opposed by aboriginal groups, environmentalists and the government of Manitoba. Community consultations were "important factors" in the company's decision to back away from the plan, Tweed said. "We listened to them. I share some of their concerns," he said. "I'm not saying we can't do it. I'm just saying right now, as the president of a company that's looking to grow, we need to focus on the grain market." The northern rail line has been plagued by derailments that have intermittently forced the suspension of both freight and passenger services. That bolstered the argument among detractors that shipping oil along the rail line was too risky to the environment and the safety of those who live in the region.

Protesters Stall An Oil Train For Hours At Anacortes

August 1, 2014 Martha Baskin, www.crosscut.com Resist! health, Oil Trains, pollution

A train attempting to leave a Tesoro oil train facility in Anacortes yesterday was stopped in its tracks when three residents of the coastal town and Seattle locked their bodies to barrels full of concrete, sat on the tracks and refused to move. During the four-hour standoff an estimated 100 BNSF rail cars were held at bay. Authorities would not say whether the tank cars, normally used to carry Bakken field crude oil from North Dakota, had any oil at the time. Three protesters were cited for trespass. Two of the protesters identified themselves as members of Rising Tide Seattle. Their demands included a halt to Bakken crude shipments through the Northwest, an immediate rejection of all crude-by-rail facilities in the Northwest, and assurances that Tesoro refineries in Anacortes, Bellingham and Tacoma will operate in compliance with the Clean Air Act. The EPA at one time charged Tesoro with violating the Clean Air Act no fewer than 4,000 times at a single refinery in North Dakota. Last year, the company and the EPA reached a $1.1 million settlement agreement over claims of widespread violations at other refineries, including Anacortes. A research group at the University of Massachusetts Amherst lists the company is among the top 100 toxic polluters nationwide.

Seattle Residents Blockade Tracks To Protest Oil-By-Rail

July 29, 2014 Rising Tide North America, www.risingtidenorthamerica.org Resist! Oil Trains, Protest, Seattle

Three residents of Anacortes and Seattle are currently blockading the oil train facility at Tesoro’s Anacortes Refinery by locking their bodies to barrels full of concrete. Supported by local residents, the three are demanding an immediate halt to the shipment of explosive Bakken oil through Northwest communities, the rejection of all new oil-by-rail terminals proposed for the Northwest, and an end to the refinery’s repeated violations of the Clean Air Act. “Thursday’s derailment was the last straw,” says Jan Woodruff, an Anacortes resident. “If Federal and State regulators won’t stand up to the fossil fuel companies endangering our communities, then we, the people of those communities, will do so.” Last Thursday, July 24th, an oil train bound for Tesoro’s Anacortes Refinery derailed in Seattle, highlighting the dangers posed to Northwest communities. Between nine and sixteen oil trains travel through Seattle and Mount Vernon every week – about five of which are bound for the Tesoro refinery. The day before Thursday’s frightening derailment, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and all nine City Council members sent a letter to the Department of Transportation asking for an immediate halt of oil-by-rail shipments through Seattle.

Move Toward Single Employee Train Crew Increases Risks

July 27, 2014 Ron Kaminkow, www.railroadworkersunited.squarespace.com Educate! Environment, Gas, Oil, Oil Trains, Railroads

Single employee train crews are unsafe and dangerous for the crews that operate them, other railroad workers, those living along the tracks, motorists and pedestrians, for the community in general and society at large. Combining both current jobs (conductor and engineer) into one will mean more crew fatigue, less focus, more distraction and a decline in operator situational awareness. The loss of that second pair of eyes and eyes would result in a decline in safety on the railroad and would be a detriment to national security and public safety. Single employee trains crews are unsafe and inefficient in all but the most routine and straight forward railroad work. For many if not most tours-of-duty, they would present complex challenges for the train’s lone operator. Single crew operations will result in a loss of valuable informal education of train crews both new and old, and lead to less capable and knowledgeable crew members in general as a result. Finally, loneliness, isolation and a loss of comradery and spirit would be the inevitable result, bringing with it mental problems, job dissatisfaction, and staff turnover.

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