It seems that we can’t turn on the TV anymore without seeing a burning oil train polluting the environment, despoiling waterways,and threatening lives and property. Unfortunately, what makes that all seem insignificant to the criminal corporations and corrupt politicians that allow Bakken crude trains, is the huge profits they also carry.
A derailed oil train continues to burn in northwestern Illinois near the Mississippi River town of Galena more than 24 hours after it crashed.
It is the third fiery derailment of trains carrying crude from the Bakken area of North Dakota in the past three weeks, raising more questions about the volatility of the oil and the safety of the tank cars used to transport crude.
No one was hurt when the BNSF Railway freight train derailed at about 1:20 p.m. Thursday in a hilly and heavily wooded area near where a tributary joins the Mississippi, about three miles south of Galena, IL.
In a statement, BNSF says 21 of the train’s 103 tank cars loaded with light Bakken crude left the tracks and at least five of them ruptured and caught fire. Witnesses reported seeing the fireball from miles away…
Inserted from <NPR>
After a long segue way, Rachel Maddow also reported this story.
The claim that this a controlled burn is a pure lie. They have been cooling that car to prevent a BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion). The company is calling it a “controlled burn”. Comparing a BLEVE to a controlled BURN is like comparing a KKK Republican to Mother Theresa. Years ago, as a volunteer firefighter, I was using the stream from a 2 1/2” live too cool a propane tank adjacent a burning building to prevent a BLEVE. I was about 100 feet away, and I was terrified. I knew that, if that tank blew, my chances of survival were nil. Compared to this, that was tiny. I only hope that a one mile radius is far enough. These are the new “safe” cars. That’s another lie.
22 Responses to “Another Oil Train Burns”
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Thanks for including the technical information about this kind of fire operation to give us a more accurate understanding of such events compared to normal news coverage TC.
Interestingly, BNSF is the line that runs cars by my place. A little digression here – my community did go to our county council and requested assistance dealing with the railroad. The assistance they requested, and received, was to give the railroad an exception so it doesn't have to make noise when approaching an intersection. Seems my neighbors were having trouble sleeping.
I love your statement "Comparing a BLEVE to a controlled BURN is like comparing a KKK Republican to Mother Theresa." The only thing in common there is a) both have flames and b) both oppose(d) abortion rights.
I screwed up! They have evel less in common! 😉
They need to be a little more truthful about those weak cars they are transporting that oil in. They are for milk and corn syrup. They are not made for oil!
Meanwhile, the wind farms once again did not explode or pollute nearby rivers.
Nor did the solar panels. There's no excuse for our continued dependence on dangerous and antiquated fossil-fuel energy just because a few corporations which have gotten rich off of it don't want to invest in the necessary work of converting to modern energy systems.
I'm with you. BUT I do have some legitimate concerns WRT the killing of birds by wind farms.
It doesn't dissuade me from being a strong supporter, but it is a reasonable concern.
Yeah! The birds is MY job!! 😈
Who could have foreseen..;) I am getting suspicious that these fires are on purpose to raise the price of gas again..;)
No. The anount burned is much too small a fraction of the overall supply.
It is fortunate that no lives were lost this time, but what about next time? The burn in Wv recently destroyed one home, those people now have to put their lives back together. There just are not enough of us protesting this horrible situation, more citizens need to get angry and let our government know we are not putting up with this anymore.
Over here 'Twitter-storms' seem to make politicians think again – I do wish something like that would happen over there re these terrifying oil trains – I worry a lot for my friends over there who live within a mile of the tracks (ten or twenty years ago, no-one would have EVER have thought that wasn't too close to be safe!). Please people, protest – send me any petitions and I will sign them!
I just put 'petitions against america's oil trains' in my search engine and found this which worried me
https://campaigns.350.org/petitions/no-oil-train-terminal-in-vancouver-wa – up to 5 miles of oil trains a day proposed – through Vancouver! That was the only one that seemed current.
TC your experience sounds utterly terrifying – and a BLEVE sounds beyond terrifying. God protect the innocent – the oil companies, train companies and local councils seem to be ignoring them!
Pat, your link should be: https://campaigns.350.org/petitions/no-oil-train-terminal-in-vancouver-wa
I've signed.
There are 1232 signers, the last one before me was 10 days ago. I think I will post this in Care2.
i just signed and it said 1,245 signers. Where is everyone???
Here are 2 more oil train petitions:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/661/032/375/stop-subsidizing-dangerous-oil-trains/ From the petition: "But a new Reuters analysis has found that state governments and the federal Department of Transportation alike have handed out tens of millions to expand crude oil rail transportation across the country. The public assistance in states like New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Oregon comes as railroads are posting record profits, and as authorities press for safety overhauls that the oil and rail industries have opposed."
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/president-obama-its-time-5 From the petition: "From today's event to 2013's massive oil train explosion in North Dakota to the 47 people who lost their lives after an oil train explosion in Quebec, it is clear that oil trains put our communities at risk for death, injury, and destruction. "
IMO, rail companies and probably oil companies are taking short cuts to move the oil all in the name of profits. Inadequate rail car maintenance, the wrong parts on some trains, inadequate staffing for the amount of work that needs to be done are all problems. This most recent bomb train near Galena, Illinois is just one more example of rolling death.
There is an interactive put out by Forest Ethics that allows you to find out if you are within a half mile or full mile of a potential rollong bomb. (It is attached to a petition but the petition itself is not active). The link is in the reply box since I have already posted 2 links. Where I live, there is an Imperial Oil refinery about 3-4 kilometres away. The rail line runs through an all residential area such that I am within the half mile radius. Within that radius, there are also high rises so the density is thick. Take the time to see how close you are.
http://explosive-crude-by-rail.org/ca/ How close are you? Are you within the oil train blast zone?
Signed and shated on FB.
Previously signed both of those. Thank you for posting so I didn't have to. TC, the last you said on the subject was that oil trains go through Portland but you didn't know exactly where. Would you please look up your address on the Forest Ethics site Lynn posted and tell us so that we know whether to worry or not? Thanks.
Thanks for all the petitions. Already signed.
hi, Tom…
i wonder if everyone knows a good portion of that oil being hauled cross country isnt even for our use, it's being refined for export… last Saturday, i dug into the energy Department data and found that our refined products exports had more than doubled since fracking started, and that the increase in exports was on barrel basis 60% of the total increase in US oil production over the period…i then tied that to government forecasts that we'd see an average of ten derailment bombs a year over the next two decades, and that 200 fatalities were likely should one derail in a populated area…with up to 80 unit trains a week from the Bakken, Philidelphia looks like a likely target…graphs and more details are here: 60% of new US oil output is being exported; 200 of us will die by bomb train so that can continue…
Thanks rjs – I knew all pipeline oil was for export so oil by rail being also for export doesn't surprise me, but I didn't know. Appreciate the info.