Washington

Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(108,320 posts) Thu Apr 30, 2015, 03:03 PM Apr 2015

41 coal, oil trains spotted in 1-week countywide watch

EVERETT — More coal, less oil.

That's what a group of volunteers saw last week when they kept a round-the-clock vigil on the railroad tracks running through Snohomish County.

They counted 29 coal trains and 12 crude-oil trains. That compares to 24 coal trains and 16 crude-oil trains last year.

The new figures are in line with the number of oil-train shipments that BNSF Railway has reported to the state.

This was the second straight year that Snohomish County Train Watch has conducted the census.

“There's definitely a role for citizen oversight, for citizens auditing,” said Dean Smith, an Everett retiree who founded the group.

Train watchers expected the crude-oil count to stay level, not to decline, Smith said. They hope to perform another tally in about three months to see if the pattern holds.

As recently as 2011, there were no oil trains passing through this area at all.

-more-

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20150430/NEWS01/150439965

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41 coal, oil trains spotted in 1-week countywide watch (Original Post) Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Apr 2015 OP

Was the decline in crude oil transportation maybe a result of the lack of storage facilities for oil Hoppy Apr 2015 #1

Might also be due to the Environmental Review & the Swinomish lawsuit... countryjake Apr 2015 #2

Hoppy

(3,595 posts)

1. Was the decline in crude oil transportation maybe a result of the lack of storage facilities for oil

Reply to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Thu Apr 30, 2015, 05:39 PM

Apr 2015

A couple of months ago, the price of gas declined. That was attributed to storage capacity nearing full. Therefore, it would stand to reason that pumping would decline.

countryjake

(8,554 posts)

2. Might also be due to the Environmental Review & the Swinomish lawsuit...

Reply to Hoppy (Reply #1)

Thu Apr 30, 2015, 07:35 PM

Apr 2015

Swinomish tribe suing rail company to stop Bakken oil trains By Shannen Kuest ~ April 7, 2015

http://www.goskagit.com/news/swinomish-tribe-suing-rail-company-to-stop-bakken-oil-trains/article_9690ba54-dd5b-11e4-9717-2b9104f46f9e.html

The Swinomish tribe is suing BNSF Railway, accusing the railroad of breaking a deal it made in 1976 regarding how many trains would cross the reservation each day and notifying the tribe of the cargo being transported.

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday.

The lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction to stop BNSF from running more than one train of 25 cars in each direction per day and to prevent it from shipping Bakken crude oil across the reservation.

BNSF is reportedly running more than four times as many rail cars daily as permitted by the easement, according to the lawsuit.

The tribe also seeks judgments against BNSF for trespass and breach of contract.

Shell’s plan to increase oil trains in Anacortes hits snag by Hal Bernton ~ February 23, 2015
Citing the risks of oil spills and fires, a Skagit County examiner rules that Shell should conduct a full-blown environmental review of a proposal to handle tanker trains at the corporation’s Anacortes refinery.

http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2025766534_skagitoiltrainappealxml.html

Shell’s proposal to build a rail yard and spur line to handle 102-car oil trains at its Anacortes refinery has gotten more complicated.

Citing risks of oil spills, fires or explosions, a Skagit County hearing examiner ruled Friday that the Shell proposal requires a full-blown review under the state Environmental Policy Act.

The review would study the potential effects of a major oil-train accident, as well as examine resources for responding to a disaster.

The examiner’s ruling overturns an earlier county decision in August that concluded the Shell proposal could obtain a permit without the kind of review required by the state act.

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