Each tanker carries 30,000 gallons of Bakken crude. That makes it a potential rolling bomb. Watch video
Oil must travel, this much we can all agree on, because if it doesn't reach the refineries, we couldn't fuel our transportation system.
But every day, train loads of highly-combustible Bakken crude oil roll past our town centers, backyards and elementary schools - it is not even uncommon for a dozen tankers to be parked 75 feet from the back door of a city police department, as we spotted in Englewood Friday. Yet there is a disconnect between the rail operator and the public it both serves and alarms.
Each of these trains can carry millions of gallons of crude oil, in a fleet that includes outdated tankers that puncture too easily, over antiquated railways and bridges. Their contents and schedules are shared on a need-to-know basis.
But that is where rail operator CSX and Gov. Christie must concede a point: There can be no secrets when first responders must respond to everything from environmental disaster to human tragedy, which are common outcomes from the 10 oil train derailments the U.S. has each year.
A bipartisan bill requiring greater transparency of the routes and volume of high-hazard cargo has been making its way through our Legislature, and in the end, it will likely be met by the governor's objection that any public disclosure of content, schedules, and structural integrity of the cars would pose a terror risk.
That argument was soundly rejected by the Senate, which passed the bill in a 33-5 landslide, because as bill sponsor Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) puts it, "You don't have to be an expert to know what they're carrying. These tankers don't move under a shroud; they have chemical symbols on them, and you just have to open your eyes to see how often they go by. That's a false argument."
It should pass by a similar majority in the Assembly, because lawmakers from Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Union, Middlesex, Somerset, and Mercer have constituents and emergency personnel who live near these rolling powder kegs, and want assurance that the operator has filed proof that it can pay for any cleanup, another key element of the bill. They also need to know.
The public needs to know more about N.J.'s oil trains | Editorial
CSX claims it is in compliance with regulations spelled out by the Department of Transportation and two federal agencies. One agency, the Federal Railroad Association, last week threatened unnamed operators that don't provide "timely" info to states and locals with "enforcement actions." The FRA must have had a good reason for that.
A meeting hosted by Rep. Scott Garrett (R-5th) for CSX and municipal officials - it was closed to the public, strike two - did little to assuage anxiety.
CSX's revelation that lower oil prices have reduced shipments to "only" 5-to-15 trains per week was met with a group shrug from mayors, because each train still pulls dozens of 90-ton tank cars past their playgrounds and churches each day.
CSX also says it has provided emergency training for 460 officials since 2014, but you won't convince the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey that this manpower is sufficient to respond to a catastrophic event.
"Look what happens despite these federal standards," says Weinberg, alluding to the frequency of derailments. "We're not waiting for them" to enforce better regulations.
Some states have drafted their own transparency laws, and cities from the Bay Area to the Gulf of Maine banned crude shipments entirely. Spokane put it on the ballot last month, after a derailment of a mile-long train near the Columbia River Gorge released 42,000 gallons of Bakken crude, with four tankers putting on a 14-hour display that resembled something not unlike hell.
Yes, oil must move. But our rail system was never built for this cargo, the increase in crude oil transport has not been matched with increased regulatory scrutiny, and dozens of New Jersey's communities feel an ominous rumble each day. As a major hub for this transport, we must take a more active role in its regulation.
More: Recent Star-Ledger editorials.
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