Days after federal guidelines announced, Common Council approves resolution on trains carrying oil
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The issue of trains carrying Bakken crude oil through southeastern Wisconsin has gotten the attention of the Milwaukee Common Council -- and on Monday, May 4th, the Judiciary and Legislation Committee approved a resolution.
The resolution urges state and federal regulators to inspect all the tracks, crossings and bridges that carry Bakken crude.
The concern comes after two recent explosions involving oil trains -- one in West Virginia and another in Galena, Illinois.
The resolution now goes before the full Milwaukee Common Council.
The approval of this resolution by the Common Council committee comes just days after the federal government came out with new rules to help make these trains safer.
The primary concern about the tank cars carrying Bakken crude is they are too thin, and there's not enough metal to protect against punctures in a crash. Even new tank car improvements couldn't prevent the two recent explosions. Both of the trains that exploded had passed through Wisconsin.
Trains carrying crude from the fracking fields in North Dakota are a regular sight now -- and they are hauling massive amounts of oil.
The move at the federal level Friday, May 1st addresses several issues with the tank cars -- many of which were designed to haul corn syrup and not crude oil. All new cars coming onto the tracks after September 2015 must have a thicker tank shell, a metal jacket around the tank, full height head shields and upgraded valves. Existing tank cars that carry Bakken crude will have to be retrofitted to meet the new standards.
The federal government is also requiring the following:
Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin has been pushing for improvements. She is concerned the new rules allow the old tank cars to continue hauling crude for up to five more years before all the retrofitting is done. She has introduced legislation that would take those tank cars off the tracks immediately.
One issue the new federal rules do not address is the composition of the Bakken crude that makes it so volatile. It has a higher vapor pressure than other oils. The technology is there to essentially stabilize it at the source. But that is an oil company issue, not a railroad issue -- and the rules Friday came from the Department of Transportation.