It is a common story: A company cut corners to save money, regulators were lax in their oversight, and no one paid attention until there was a tragedy.
This time, this was the story behind the train derailment in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, which killed 47 people last year. This shows safety improvements must be made much more quickly than the current pace.
A report released this summer by the Canadian government found 18 reasons for the crash. Prime among them were that Maine, Montreal and Atlantic Railway cut corners to save money and Canadian officials failed to properly monitor the railroad’s operations.
“Transport Canada knew about some of the problems, but the follow-up wasn’t always there,” said Wendy Tadros, chair of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. “There has to be a change in the Canadian rail systems because we have to do more than just stick to the rules.”
The same can be said on the American side of the border, where regulatory changes also are slow. Take the April exchange between U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and then-U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
“This isn’t a new issue to [the Department of Transportation],” Collins said regarding new rules for rail tank car design. “The recommendations were made years ago by the National Transportation Safety Board, and the industry itself has petitioned the department. So, for me, it’s not sufficient to hear you say we won’t let it go in to 2015.”
She then asked for the target date for new rules.
“Well, my target date is as soon as possible,” Foxx, now chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, responded during the Senate Transportation Appropriations Committee hearing.
Collins cut him off: “That’s a frustrating answer.”
It is frustrating because Americans — and Canadians — aren’t going to stop using oil anytime soon, and much of it will continue to be hauled by rail. In fact, by the end of this year, U.S. crude oil production is projected to have nearly doubled since 2008. In 2008, U.S. railroads hauled just 9,500 carloads of crude oil; in 2013, it hauled nearly 408,000 carloads.
Oil and natural gas are America’s top energy sources, with coal a declining third. That is not going to change anytime soon; renewables, such as hydro, wind and solar are a tiny fraction of the country’s energy mix and remain controversial. This means we must find the safest ways to extract and transport oil and gas.
The safest way to move oil and gas over long distances is through pipelines. Transporting oil by rail costs three times that of a pipeline, according to oilprice.com. Pipelines, however, are expensive to build, and local opposition makes citing them in or near populated areas difficult. Opposition has stalled, if not killed, the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport oil from western Canada to refineries in Texas.
Much of the controversy surrounds tar sands, which are thicker than crude oil and must be heated before being sent through a pipeline. This oil also is being shipped by rail.
Voters in South Portland recently approved an ordinance that prohibits tar sands from the city.
A 236-mile long pipeline flows oil, delivered by tankers, from South Portland to the Montreal area. There is fear the flow could be reversed to bring tar sands oil south.
Given America’s demand for oil, the focus must remain on making its shipment as safe as possible. There are important steps being taken — such as the work on strengthening tank cars and funding for safety work on short-line railroads, which often pass through populated areas.
Lawmakers must ensure this work keeps pace with the urgency of the problem, so there are no more Lac-Megantic-like disasters.