It saddens me to report that there was an oil spill and fire in a train carrying super-volatile Bakken Crude adjacent to the Columbia River, and that it is now in the river itself. Officials say it has been contained, but what they call contained never means eliminated, so it will be in the river, poisoning the ecosystem for decades.
A Union Pacific train carrying volatile Bakken crude oil derailed in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge Friday afternoon, sparking a large blaze and prompting evacuations and road closures around the nearby town of Mosier. No deaths or injuries were reported.
KATU TV reported that as many as four rail cars ended up engulfed in flames. A Union Pacific spokesman said oil leaked from at least one car, though according to an Oregon Department of Transportation statement released last night, “no oil or fire suppression water has reached Rock Creek, the Columbia River, or its tributaries.” ODOT officials added that Union Pacific crews had placed booms across Rock Creek and the mouth of the Columbia River as a preemptive step.
The derailment generated a large fire, and plumes of smoke filled the sky. Brett VandenHeuvel, executive director of Columbia Riverkeeper, observed the blaze. In a statement sent to ThinkProgress, he characterized the incident as “a terrible situation.”
From <Think Progress>
Governor Kate Brown held a press conference last night
I checked to see if they had kept it out of the river.
A light oil sheen was spotted in the Columbia River near the site of Friday's oil train derailment near the Oregon town of Mosier, raising concerns about the fiery wreck's environmental impacts during peak spring chinook migration.
Environmental officials said the oil has been contained and they are investigating the source.
Crews overnight put out the blaze in the tanker cars, and Interstate 84 was re-opened to traffic. But about 100 people remained under evacuation from 74 homes…
From <The Oregonian>
Here's an interactive map, that you can use to explore the area around the spill.
In summery, this just sickens me. Portland has an ordinance banning oil trains within the city limits. Every city and every state needs to adopts\ such ordinances, until the only economical thing to do with crude oil is to leave it in the ground.
12 Responses to “Oregon Suddenly Became a Cruder Place”
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The good news, of course, is that no one was hurt or injured up front. I live so close to a train line that carries this – stuff – that if one ever exploded near me I would likely be toast. The explosion would suck my lungs right out. Now, I do realize no immediate deaths or injuries doesn't mean there won't be injuries, possibly deaths, from the toxins down the road. I am so sorry. Oregon doesn't deserve this.
350 dot org has a petition to Gov. Inslee at https://campaigns.350.org/petitions/no-oil-train-terminal-in-vancouver-wa Since the proposed site is in Washington, this would make more sense than going to Gov Brown on the refinery, though she/her staff could well be responsive to inquiries specificalle on Mosier. 350 dot org is reputable. They may be using change dot org's platform, but it appears to be a carved-out area specific to them. I signed, though I don't live in WA.
Columbia Riverkeepers has one to both Governors opposing oil trains – a different issue though related. http://salsa4.salsalabs.com/o/50797/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=10124 I signed that one too.
So sad–that was my route after our visit in Dec.
So very sorry to read this. Very sad, indeed.
Thanks, Tom.
So sorry to hear this! Oil has polluted so much of our rivers and lands! I agree that ALL states need to adopt the same restrictions so there will be NO way to ship oil and the GREEN power can advance to a point that it is the only power!!! I hope that the river is SAVED from this catastrophe !!!
Quite a shame!
It is fortunate that no one was killed or injured, but the damage will continue for a very long time.
No immediate injuries, but as JD says "…doesn't mean there won't be injuries, possibly deaths, from the toxins down the road.". But the danger to marine life and wildlife is yet to be seen. I suppose one good thing is that it wasn't tar sands crud!
I can hear the pipeline advocates ramping up their lines. Bullshit! Leave it all in the ground! Go renewable!
What sad news from your state you bring us today, TomCat. Fortunately no one was hurt or killed, but soon this derailment and spill lose their news value and we'll probably never hear about it again. Unless the effects are really devastatingly large, we' won't be informed what real damage to people, wildlife and environment this mishap has caused. And the next train will leave the station with a load of crude oil as soon as the damage to the tracks is repaired.
Thanks everyone. This cloud may haced a silver lining. In researching this story, I've learned that Big Oil wants to build a major oil refinery in the Port of Vancouver, WA, which is directly across the Columbia from Portland. Before this, they might have done it with little notice. That must be stopped!
Pretty sure I have signed at least one petition opposing the refinery, but i can't remember for whom, and Yahoo empties my mail trash every Sundey whether it needs it or not. I thought maybe Jim would come up with it, but if not, I'll look for it. Or them.
Stand with Mosier – Call Governor Brown
Call Governor Kate Brown at (503) 378-4582, (press 3 to leave a comment), ask the Governor to: Stand with the City of Mosier; Commit to using all state authority to protect people from oil trains.
http://columbiariverkeeper.org/