A train carrying explosive Bakken Crude Oil derailed in Seattle underneath a major arterial street.
Oil train derails in Interbay
Three railroad tank cars carrying petroleum crude oil derailed under the Magnolia Bridge in Interbay early Thursday morning.
No oil escaped and the cause of the accident is still under investigation, according to Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad spokesperson Gus Melonas. The train included 100 tank cars, two covered hoppers full of sand and three locomotives. All the tank cars were carrying crude oil from North Dakota. The oil was bound for a refinery in Anacortes, Courtney Wallace, another BNSF spokesperson said.
All three of the derailed tank cars were CP-1232 models. Unlike an older type of DOT-111 tank cars, the newer CP-1232 includes additional safety features, including reinforced walls.
What timing too!
Oil train derails in Interbay in Seattle, no spills
Posted by Lynda Mapes
Concerns about the impacts of increased oil vessel and train traffic are sure to be stoked by the morning derailment. It came the same day as a hearing and rally scheduled in Seattle on increased oil transport to Cherry Point. The hearing, about a dock expansion proposed by BP at its Cherry Point refinery, will be held by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Federal Center South Galaxy Room, at 4735 East Marginal Way South in Seattle from 7 to 9 p.m. A rally against the proposal is taking place across the street from 6:15 to 6:45 p.m.
Every 24 hours, about two and a half unit trains on average loaded with 100 or so cars of oil rolls through Washington, Melonas said. About 70 percent of the BNSF cars in use in the Northwest are of a new design, with safety improvements including thicker steel construction and safety mechanisms around tank valves, Melonas said.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray this week held a hearing on safety issues related to rail transport of crude oil. Those shipments are expected to increase from 55 million barrels of crude this year to more than 200 million annually, because of proposals to expand oil refining and shipping in communities across the state, including Seattle, Spokane, Bellingham and Vancouver.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee just last month called for a review of state readiness to respond to an oil-train spill, which is underway and will result in a final report in December, Copeland said. The state has a plan in place to respond to oil spills in water, but not along train tracks, she said.
If you're in or near Seattle and can spare a half an hour of your time consider joining the
Rising Tide Seattle rally tonight at 4735 East Marginal Way S. from 6:15 to 6:45 p.m.