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* Oy…
A freight train loaded with crude oil derailed in northern Illinois, bursting into flames and prompting officials to suggest that everyone with 1 mile evacuate, authorities said.
The BNSF Railway train derailed Thursday afternoon in a rural area where the Galena River meets the Mississippi, according to company spokesman Andy Williams. The train had 103 cars loaded with crude oil, along with two buffer cars loaded with sand. A cause for the derailment hadn’t yet been determined. No injuries were reported. […]
Firefighters could only access the derailment site by a bike path, said Galena Assistant Fire Chief Bob Conley. They attempted to fight a small fire at the scene but were unable to stop the flames.
Firefighters had to pull back for safety reasons and were allowing the fire to burn itself out, Conley said. In addition to Galena firefighters, emergency and hazardous material responders from Iowa and Wisconsin were at the scene.
* More…
The company says the train’s tank cars were a newer model known as the 1232. That model was designed during safety upgrades voluntarily adopted by the industry four years ago. The improvements were meant to prevent cars from rupturing in the event of derailments.
But 1232 standard cars involved in three other accidents have split open in the past year, leading some to call for tougher requirements.
* From the governor’s office…
Governor Rauner today activated the State Incident Response Center (SIRC) in Springfield to ensure state personnel and equipment are ready to be quickly deployed if needed to help local emergency responders deal with a crude oil train derailment and subsequent fire that occurred this afternoon near Galena in Jo Daviess County.
Governor Rauner also deployed staff from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to the scene.
“I activated the State Incident Response Center to ensure we’re ready to act quickly if any local responders need our assistance,” said Governor Rauner.
Representatives from several state agencies are reporting to the SIRC, including IEMA, IEPA, Illinois State Police, Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois Commerce Commission, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois National Guard, Illinois Department of Central Management Services, Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois Department of Human Services, Illinois Department on Aging, Illinois Department of Corrections, Office of the State Fire Marshal and the American Red Cross.
The SIRC will remain activated as long as necessary.
Updates from the governor’s office will be posted here.
* From the twitters…
Agencies have mobilized after a crude oil train derailed and caught fire Thursday near Galena. http://t.co/oJ8yVPywSi pic.twitter.com/kwakHxQbQg
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) March 6, 2015
2 of our hazmat team members are in Galena, IL for the train derailment. They are assisting with fire operations. pic.twitter.com/IRjrbgjviw
— LaX Firefighters (@LaXFirefighters) March 6, 2015
La Crosse has one of the few operational foam trailers specifically built by BNSF for derailments and oil fires.
— LaX Firefighters (@LaXFirefighters) March 6, 2015
*** UPDATE *** The governor has proposed some steep cuts to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, which handles crises like this one. Among the proposed cuts are to local responder training (56.7 percent), recovery and remediation (83.9 percent), operations, (20.15 percent) and equipment (4.4 percent). Click here for the list.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:07 am
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Previous Post: *** UPDATED x1 - Rauner response *** Unions file suit over Rauner executive order
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This helps prove the point why we need the XL pipeline to be approved.
Comment by Chad Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:13 am
But why doesn’t the mainstream media ever give this much coverage to incidents where solar or wind power goes terribly, terribly wrong?
Oh, right…
– MrJM
Comment by MrJM Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:14 am
- The SIRC will remain activated as long as necessary. -
“You see, even though these lazy union employees are fleecing the taxpayers with their pensions, lavish contracts, and overtime, I need to send them to protect the public and the environment from disasters like this. After all, there’s some nice real estate up Galena way, and I’m thinkin’ about buyin’.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:16 am
Spills create jobs. You got a problem with Job creation in this state?
Comment by PublicServant Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:18 am
Flashback: Rolling Thunder
Comment by x ace Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:20 am
Sounds like those upgraded 1232 cars might not be ==upgraded== enough.
Comment by Formerly Known As... Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:23 am
“But why doesn’t the mainstream media ever give this much coverage to incidents where solar or wind power goes terribly, terribly wrong?”
—————
I assume you are talking about something like this?
http://www.inquisitr.com/1867699/solar-farm-sets-130-birds-on-fire-midair-nearly-30000-birds-scorched-each-year-by-solar-energy-project/
Oh, and btw, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is having some real production issues. We’ll see if they get them worked out. They apparently have some scalability issues.
The better success story (at least for solar) looks to be all those rooftop installs on ‘big box’ type structures. That’s dependent upon the federal subsidies, but at least there’s some small successes.
Comment by Judgment Day (on the road) Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:24 am
We should just let the market sort this out. No reason for pesky ‘environmental’ oversight. If BSNF decides that killing a few birds and polluting the water is worth saving a few nickels in upgraded railcars…who are we to judge?
Comment by How Ironic Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:24 am
This helps prove the point that we need to wean ourselves off of oil (and coal) as soon as possible.
Comment by Northsider Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:27 am
“But why doesn’t the mainstream media ever give this much coverage to incidents where solar or wind power goes terribly, terribly wrong?”
Did you miss the Solyndra story?
Comment by CapnCrunch Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:27 am
==But why doesn’t the mainstream media ever give this much coverage to incidents where solar or wind power goes terribly, terribly wrong?
Oh, right…==
Only when our President and his donor buddies profit from it. Solyndra. Oh right… Didn’t Obama say that trains are safer than pipelines for the transportation of oil? Oh right…
Comment by Western Ave. Doug Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:28 am
The price of oil is what, $50 a barrel? Last year, when crude was $120 per barrel, this would have been a real disaster.
Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:32 am
Chad what does Keystone have to do with anything? Was this Alberta oil sands heading to the Gulf? I doubt it.
Are you under the impression that there aren’t oil pipelines now in the lower 48?
There are major oil pipelines across Northern Iowa and Northern Illinois. Rail is the competition.
There are pipeline spills, too. About a million gallons of oil got dumped into the Kzoo River in Michigan a few years back when a pipeline failed.
But thanks for the immediate silly DC talking point.
Comment by Wordslinger Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:36 am
@ How Ironic:
You may want to check this link out:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-galena-train-derailment-20150305-story.html
“The two rail cars that split open and burst into flames when an oil train derailed near Galena were retrofitted with protective shields to meet a higher safety standard than federal law requires, the railroad said.”
Comment by Anon Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:46 am
@Anon,
I read that. Point being, many a conservative, and libertarian are against government intervention into private industry. The argument goes that the ‘market’ will correct itself and that industry is better self policing.
Until of course, there is a major disaster and suddenly oversight doesn’t seem like such a bad thing.
Comment by How Ironic Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:50 am
@Anon,
Do you see the giant fire ball in the picture? It’s safe to say the regulations are not adequate and it begs the question who wrote the regulations in the first place.
Comment by Sun Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:56 am
I am happy no people were killed.
This happens all the time people, and has since 1859.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:07 am
The first US well was drilled in 1859. We should have better options for transporting oil by now than choosing between pipeline leaks and railcar spills.
fwiw, this train was carrying Bakken oil. The Keystone pipeline would transport Bakken shale oil as well as Alberta tar sands oil http://bakkenshale.com/news/how-the-keystone-xl-pipeline-would-impact-the-bakken/
Comment by Formerly Known As... Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:09 am
===“The two rail cars that split open and burst into flames when an oil train derailed near Galena were retrofitted with protective shields to meet a higher safety standard than federal law requires, the railroad said.”===
You can’t fight for toothless regulations on one hand, then pat yourself on the back for exceeding the safety regulations “voluntarily.” Unless you think we’re all stoopid.
Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:09 am
@ Sun
I think that is a fair assessment (about the regulations) especially considering the other recent derailment (In VA) included similar tanker cars. I thought HI was suggesting the RR had “cut corners” (my inference - not his fault) & was merely pointing out that BNSF had complied with the safety standards required (even going beyond that, apparently - but that is a RR spokesman saying that, so take it FWIW)
Comment by Anon Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:10 am
All you liberals are beside yourselves hating the “market.” It’s not the market that’s encouraging the shipment of oil by trains. We’re using dangerous trains because the Obama Administration has been holding up a much safer alternative for the last few years - the Keystone KL pipeline.
There are no realistic alternatives to oil, coal and natural gas, except nuclear (which the Obama Administration is also continuing to hold up by not approving the facility at Yucca Mountain to hold nuclear waste).
Solar and wind are and will continue to be for decades, marginal sources of unreliable energy. If you want to take yourself off the grid, fine, just please don’t pull the rest of our economy down with you.
Comment by Downstate Illinois Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:18 am
===How Ironic - Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 10:24 am:
We should just let the market sort this out. No reason for pesky ‘environmental’ oversight. If BSNF decides that killing a few birds and polluting the water is worth saving a few nickels in upgraded railcars…who are we to judge? ===
You are aware the railroads don’t own these oil tanks, right? That they are owned by private leasing companies not controlled by the railroads and leased to shippers?
Comment by Ken_in_Aurora Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:21 am
“It’s not the market that’s encouraging the shipment of oil by trains. We’re using dangerous trains because the Obama Administration has been holding up a much safer alternative for the last few years - the Keystone KL pipeline.”
Are you suggesting that TransCanada will enter the marketplace and negotiate terms and prices with each and every landowner along the proposed route to secure permission for the Keystone XL pipeline to cross their property?
Because that is unalloyed nonsense.
You don’t want a “market solution” — you want the government to impose the “solution” that you prefer.
And that’s fine. But be honest enough to own it.
– MrJM
Comment by MrJM Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:28 am
I think its horrible how solar power proponents don’t care one bit about all the thousands of innocent birds being killed by those panel farms. Birds are symbols of freedom and hearing how they are killed by burning up in the sky is heart breaking.
Solar power advocates are monsters!
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:30 am
“Birds are symbols of freedom”
Once again, VanillaMan, you’ve confused birds with guns.
– MrJM
Comment by MrJM Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:38 am
With apologies to VM for paraphrasing his snark:
I think its horrible how cat owners don’t care one bit about all the thousands of innocent birds being killed by those cats. Birds are symbols of freedom and hearing how they are killed by cats is heart breaking.
Cat advocates are monsters!
Comment by Skeptic Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:39 am
“I think its horrible how cat owners don’t care one bit about all the thousands of innocent birds being killed by those cats.”
Skeptic, I believe you may have confused “cats” with “guns”.
– MrJM
Comment by MrJM Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:45 am
Gee, isn’t this on the rail line that Warren Buffet bought? You remember Warren Buffet. He’s the big Obama supporter who opposed the XL pipeline through his home state of Nebraska so oil would still have to be shipped on the rail lines in which he doesn’t want to invest from his huge profits to make safe.
The railroads are owned by Obama’s favorite guys. Any one care to bet that there won’t be any critical stories about rail safety by the Main Stream Media, and support for much safer new pipelines?
Didn’t think so….
Comment by Arizona Bob Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:47 am
I suppose, in light of today, one of the advantages of the Keystone XL is that it wouldn’t increase the amount of oil being shipped through Illinois (assuming Phase 1 is basically maxed out on capacity).
Make the mess somebody else’s problem, it is the American way.
Comment by GraduatedCollegeStudent Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:48 am
MrJM: I don’t think anyone has ever campaigned to carry a concealed cat.
Comment by Skeptic Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:51 am
AB is on the grand conspiracy. Run Bobby, they’re coming to get you[
Comment by Wordslinger Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:57 am
You people wouldn’t be laughing if it was manatees that were bursting into flames flying above solar farms.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:58 am
AZBob: You mean like this one? http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/fiery-train-wrecks-put-pressure-safety-standards-oil-transport/ You know, PBS, that leftist organization? Didn’t think so.
Comment by Skeptic Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:58 am
VM: Or flying pigs.
Comment by Skeptic Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 11:58 am
Downstate Illinois @ 11:18 a.m. and fellow travelers: Um, no.
From the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, a report (80-page PDF) finding that price-wise, fossil fuels can no longer compete with solar.
From Deutsche Bank, a 175-page report suggesting that solar power and storage will dominate the world energy market by 2030.
We know that the truth has a well-known liberal bias, and that NBAD and DB well-known liberal bastions, but please do try to keep an open mind.
Comment by Northsider Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 12:00 pm
That sounds tasty!
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 12:01 pm
According to the API, there is 190,000 miles of liquid petroleum pipelines throughout the country. Use the google and take a look at the pipeline network.
The Pavlovian “Keystone” response to this accident is pathetic.
Comment by Wordslinger Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 12:04 pm
Exploding flying manatees?
Oh my God, the inhumanity…..
Wait till the hazmat people get a load of that situation.
Comment by Judgment Day (on the road) Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 12:08 pm
@Downstate Illinois:
“Solar and wind are and will continue to be for decades, marginal sources of unreliable energy. If you want to take yourself off the grid, fine, just please don’t pull the rest of our economy down with you.”
Solar = Unreliable Energy? Because the sun only manages to shine occasionally? Really? I’ll have to tell all my neighbors that they are wasting their time and energy with all the panels on their roofs. And I’ll just call my pool company to tear out my solar water heater, because it’s only working ‘unreliably’.
Get over yourself. The economy is doing quite well actually. Ever check out the WSJ? BTW, here’s a stock tip. Sell the rest of your gold holdings.
Comment by How Ironic Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 12:12 pm
Az Bob
Buffett bought BNSF back in 2009 before the oil boom so put your tinfoil hat away-nothing to see here. Of course in your world when anything isn’t right it’s Obama’s fault.
The whole oil thing has been both a blessing and a curse for the railroad industry–a blessing because it is a very profitsble source of traffic, but a curse because of the congestion it has caused, the need to make huge capital expenditures to alleviate the congestion,(Buffett has invested hundreds of millions into increasing capacity on BNSF’s lines) and the calls for new regulations on the industry by other groups such as Amtrak,farmers and intermodal shippers whose traffic has, in their mind, been discrimintated against by more profitable oil hauls.
This against the backdrop of the oil traffic being somewhat temporary based on market forces. Where’s the investment going to be 20 years from now?
That being said, the recent rash of derailments has been a huge PR disaster for the industry. Keysstone is such a political football it isn’t even worth commenting on.
train111
Comment by train111 Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 12:30 pm
This agency is a classic example of, “you don’t need it until you need it, but when you do, you REALLY need it.” Every year comes the battle to justify the investment being made in something that isn’t visible or activated on a daily basis, but there were 11 declared disasters in Illinois from 2009-2014. Despite all that the GRF funding for IEMA is already down 56% from 2009-2014 also resulting in the loss of federal funds requiring a local match. You can only cut so much before you are risking lives and property because there aren’t enough people to do the adequate training and preparation for these no-notice events. Interestingly a Bakken Crude derailment was a primary area of focus this past year since Illinois has more oil being transported through by rail than any state in the country that doesn’t pull it out of the ground. Unfortunately there isn’t enough money to train the fire departments or get the special equipment (foam, etc.) needed to address these problems. Be careful how much you cut here, as they say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Comment by MOD Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 12:56 pm
I just wish you folks would stop harassing Arizona Bob like you do. He is in Arizona, in a little dusty adobe-style retiree village and drives a mauve colored golf cart with a faux Rolls grille. It even has a nice white padded vinyl roof - so there’s that too. When you consider how he is probably the only English speaking person in the village, AND the only guy there not getting all those free catheters or buying all those silver and gold coins, we have to admire much time he spends daily with us, when he seems to have so many other things to do. Like killing cucarachas, and dodging stray bullets.
Equally admirable is the fact that there is not only a difference in time between Chicago and his home in Casa Del Ancianos which requires that he wake up several hours before we do in order to enjoy our company - but just think of how many years he lags behind us as well.
When he goes off on a tangent, or when he says something we know is really crazy and also sadly predictable - we have to also remember that he only gets to post between electrical outages and prostate milkings - so there’s that too.
God love him, we need to enjoy his company while he is conscious. So blog on old friend, and know that I’ve got your back!
/snark
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 1:04 pm
@VanillaMan - You win. Forever.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 1:12 pm
@ Downstate- “All you liberals are beside yourselves hating the “market.”
So it’s a market thing? 10-4, I read you loud and clear.
“All you liberals..”- The Rush Limbaugh parroting is really quite enough. Using “liberal” as a pejorative would indicate that you may be opposed to freedom (a synonym for liberty).
Comment by JS Mill Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 1:20 pm
Wordslinger 12:04 so true. Pipe lines snake across our county in all directions and plenty of pipelines have been built recently. Keystone was made a political symbol, it has nothing to do with this issue. BTW Love the reference to Pavlov trained mice. I think that’s what BR wants us ALL to become!
Comment by BlameBruceRauner Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 1:21 pm
Can you say “pipeline,” Boma Boy?
Comment by Neglected stepchild Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 1:32 pm
@Vanilla Man–Now I have to clean my laptop screen. CapFaxers–Don’t eat your veggies while reading VM responses. Messy!
Comment by Nearly Normal Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 1:39 pm
Stepchild-Pipeline or pipe line does it really matter???? You obviously understood my message. Grow up! You, my uninformed goomba, don’t have a clue if I’m male or female. The only thing neglected here is your pathetic post and Commander Carharts governing skills!
Comment by BlameBruceRauner Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 1:47 pm
I found a great blog on Keystone and petcoke. I now understand all this blocking of Keystone is politics. Build the pipeline already!
http://www.oliehindustrialsolutions.com/2015/03/politics-petcoke-dust-dummies/
Comment by Justme23 Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 1:49 pm
The “market” includes pipelines and rail. The oil was moving east through Jo Davies County. I doubt if the Gulf was its destination. More likely Joliet, Lemont or Whiting.
Keystone is a phony DC issue. It has nothing to do with current record-breaking production and refining.
But for all the liberty lovers out there, Keystone does involve the seizure of private property through eminent domain for private purposes.
You’re all good with that? Why do you approve of the government taking some Nebraska farmer’s land for the benefit of a private Canadian oil company?
Comment by Wordslinger Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 1:56 pm
VM, I tip my cap to your awesomeness.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 2:07 pm
Wordslinger
Most of the oil eastbound through Illinois is going to east coast refineries. The Mobil Refinery south of Joliet is just getting set up to do transload from rail. Lemont does not receive via rail that I know of and BP at Whiting gets their crude via pipeline. Keystone wouldn’t do a thing alter the flow of oil to the east coast, as it is planned to the Gulf of Mexico.
train111
Comment by train111 Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 2:19 pm
@VM,
Really, a mauve golf cart? I mean you were spot on with the rest, but that was just gratuitous. It’s probably powder blue, to resist fading.
Comment by How Ironic Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 2:20 pm
And enshrined in our federal and state constitutions, by gum.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 2:33 pm
Train, thanks?
Comment by Wordslinger Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 3:11 pm
Mauve is as good a color as powder blue when exposed to the hot Arizona sun. Both colors already appear faded and are considered extremely attractive to buyers within what is called the “Golden Girl” demographic.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 3:13 pm
First–VM–hysterical. Happy to see the funny VM back.
=-==You’re all good with that? Why do you approve of the government taking some Nebraska farmer’s land for the benefit of a private Canadian oil company?
This is what I don’t get. Essentially the pipeline is being sent across US land to help Canadians export much of it and the rest to be put through refineries in Texas. So not have a pipeline go across Canada and have Canadians either refine it and take the environmental challenges that go with that or at least send it to closer refineries in the north and midwest?
Wait, I think I see the Canadian strategy now.
I’m all for more short run pipelines in the north and midwest–it would cut down on the trains that go within two blocks of where I live. We have probably 10 trains a day right now and a lot of it is ethanol and North Dakota crude. However, I don’t know how sending it to Texas in a pipeline makes much sense unless you want to export it and then why should the US bear the costs?
Comment by ArchPundit Friday, Mar 6, 15 @ 3:16 pm