(March 2016) -- Check out our newest white paper, "Crude-by-rail in Oregon: 2012–2016," which describes oil train traffic in Oregon over the past four years and Oregon's level of preparedness for a fire or explosion caused by an oil train derailment. Read it online today.
Oregon’s rail lines connect North America’s crude oil deposits to U.S. and potentially international oil refineries. During the last decade, high international oil prices and new extraction technologies sparked a renaissance in North American crude oil production. Without pipelines to bring these new crudes to ports and refineries, crude-by-rail boomed.
But crude-by-rail accidents have occurred with disconcerting regularity across North America, and the resulting fires and explosions overwhelmed local first responders. Oil train disasters in Quebec, North Dakota, Alabama, Virginia, and elsewhere raised concerns about the ability of Oregon firefighters to combat an oil train fire.
Interested in learning more? Resources from the white paper:
- Exhibit 1: State of Oregon, Preliminary Statewide Rail Safety Review, p.11 (July 25, 2014)
- Exhibit 2: Port of St. Helens, Resolution No. 2013-81 (November 13, 2013)
- Exhibit 3: Portland and Western Railroad, Filing pursuant to U.S. DOT Docket No. DOT-OST-2014-0067 (June 5, 2014)
- Exhibit 4: BNSF, Filing pursuant to U.S. DOT Docket No. DOT-OST-2014-0067, p.4 (June 6, 2014).
- Exhibit 5: BNSF, Filing pursuant to U.S. DOT Docket No. DOT-OST-2014-0067, p.3 (September 30, 2014).
- Exhibit 6: Arc Logistics Partners, Arc Logistics Partners LP Investor Presentation, p.8 (May 2015)
- Exhibit 7: Union Pacific, Filing pursuant to U.S. DOT Docket No. DOT-OST-2014-0067, p.5 (November 10, 2015)
- Exhibit 8: Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal, Survey Findings and Recommendations on Crude Oil, p.1 (March 5, 2015)
- Exhibit 9: Oregon Legislature, Enrolled House Bill 3225 (HB 3225-B), Section 5 (July 13, 2015)