Assemblymember Steck Identifies High Risk Incidents from Crude Oil Transport

Schenectady, NY – Assemblymember Phil Steck today identified numerous locations where significant incidents have already occurred that show the inherent risks of transporting highly volatile explosive oil through densely-populated residential areas, alongside our water sources, and our municipal infrastructure.

Oil coming from the Bakken fields in North Dakota is highly flammable and explosive since it contains volatile natural gas liquids. Assemblymember Steck has called for the stabilization of such oil (removal of the natural gas liquids) so that it will be safe for transportation through our communities. Past incidents show that the current situation poses a danger to residents of the Capital District.

In Montgomery County, there was a significant derailment in 2013 in the Town of Mohawk where 45 cars and 4 locomotives derailed, throwing cars onto Rt. 5 and closing a 12 mile stretch of Rt. 5 and the Amtrak line. This is the same CSX freight line that carries the Bakken crude oil daily. USDOT has identified the potential impact zone in case of oil train fire, more commonly known as the “blast zone”, as extending a full mile to the North and South from the CSX tracks where this incident occurred. The Rt. 5 corridor that was closed is adjacent to the Mohawk River and has residential homes along the tracks. Cleanup and repair of Rt. 5 took two months, and cost estimates were between $1.1 million and $1.2 million. CSX told the Federal Railroad Administration the derailment injured two people — both train engineers — and caused $820,710 worth of equipment damage plus $467,000 track damage.

“It was only by luck this derailment was not a crude oil train. According to the internal investigation by CSX, the cause was the railroad equivalent of a driver running a red light, causing the two trains to sideswipe each other, throwing cars onto Rt. 5.” - said Assemblymember Steck “Had this been a Bakken crude carrying trains, it would have been twice the size of the incident that occurred in West Virginia.”

According to USDOT, crude oil train traffic has increased more than 4,000 percent in the last five years. NYSDOT stated that 47% of all train derailments are a result of human factors. Montgomery County has an average of 28 crude oil trains traversing it weekly.

“Had this been a train carrying Bakken Crude Oil, this outcome of this would have been much different. USDOT has identified the blast area around these tracks extending well into the Mohawk River, residential homes and our state and local infrastructure.” – said Assemblymember Steck: “The issue this raises for me is just how vulnerable we actually are.”

In 2005, a CSX train derailed right in downtown Amsterdam, sending 18 cars off the tracks including one that landed in the Mohawk River. The 84-car train mangled east- and westbound tracks when it jumped the rails sending boxcars slamming into each other and forcing suspension of all freight and passenger rail traffic between Albany and Syracuse. Several of the cars narrowly missed a warehouse. The accident occurred just east of the Route 30 bridge that connects Amsterdam to Interstate 90.

The accident is dwarfed by a derailment that occurred in Fonda in December 1995, when 51 cars were knocked off the rails. One of those had been carrying sodium hydroxide that spilled into nearby farmland and forced the evacuation of homes.

“The combination of densely-populated communities alongside the freight rail lines transporting highly-volatile Bakken crude oil, the sharp increase in the volume of this train traffic, as well as the length of these trains, is a disaster-in-waiting.” – said Assemblymember Steck “These are only a few of the derailments throughout the Capital Region in recent years, they do not even take into account the number of accidents with cars and other incidents on the tracks.”

In Rotterdam in 2006, a UPS train derailed on the same CSX main line that runs through Rotterdam into the Selkirk yard. 30 cars of the 137 car train derailed, closing both lines of the main line track and rerouting train traffic over 3 separate rail lines.

In the City of Schenectady in 2006, a freight train derailed where Altamont Avenue crosses over the tracks. Six train cars jumped the tracks – with five of them toppling over and closing the street. This is a densely-populated urban area with businesses and residential developments in every direction, as well as recreational facilities and significant city infrastructure.

“Schenectady County has 28 crude oil trains running through the County weekly. When derailments occur, train traffic can be rerouted right through Rotterdam and downtown Schenectady.” - said Assemblymember Steck “I recently requested the list of track and tanker defects found in Albany, Montgomery and Schenectady Counties that were discovered during the 2013 and 2014 blitz inspections, and they are eye-opening indeed.”

Since 2013, Assemblymember Steck has been speaking out about the transport of highly flammable Bakken Crude Oil through the 110th Assembly District. Assemblymember Steck has been quoted in the Bloomberg News, Wall Street Journal, Gannet News, the Times Union, Washington Post, Democrat and Chronicle, Grand Forks Herald, The Columbian, Benicia Independent, The Journal News, Rochester Sun Times, Business News Network, Metroland, Capital New York, as well as numerous Canadian publications, speaking out about the issue of crude oil trains and as well calling for stabilization.

“The risk is far too great to continue this practice without stringent safeguards in place. I have called for the stabilization of this oil since last September when I sent a letter of testimony, with the support of numerous state and local legislators, to the North Dakota Industrial Commission for use in a hearing on Bakken crude oil safety. I sent a letter to Commissioner Martens (NYSDEC) and Commissioner McDonald (NYSDOT), advising them of my testimony and how this issue significantly affects my district, in addition to writing the United States Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration calling again for stabilization.” – said Assemblymember Steck. “The issue first came to my attention since giant oil trains, some as lone as 155 cars long, were blocking access to communities along the Hudson River, preventing emergency vehicles from transporting stricken residents to the hospital. Derailments throughout our nation and Canada then caused our office to focus on the flammability of the oil trains carrying Bakken crude.”

The following is a list of track and tanker defects by county and rail carrier for Albany, Montgomery and Schenectady Counties as provided by NYSDOT external relations:

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