HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014 08-11 Dayton hears from east metro officials about rail safety STAR TRIBUNE :c StarTribune
Dayton hears from east metro
officials about rail safety
Article by.James Walsh
Star Tribune
August 11,2014-11:22 PM 'w '*Y
Suburban St.Paul officials told Gov.Mark Dayton on Monday that
communities across the state need more money and training to
prepare for the possible catastrophe of a train loaded with volatile
oil exploding as it rumbles through Minnesota.
With the volume of North Dakota oil rolling through Minnesota An oil train moved through the oast metro area
continuing to grow,the need for greater coordination,training and The Wallace,Star Tribune
preparedness is becoming increasing desperate,they had the governor in Little Canada at the first of several meetings
scheduled for cities from Moorhead to Winona in the coming week.
Over and over Monday,Dayton heard emergency planners worry about how volunteer fire departments in small cities would
handle a major explosion or fire.
There's just not a lot of information out there on how to respond to a 50-car oil train disaster,said Doug Berglund,director of
emergency management for the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
"I think it's too early for us to know exactly what needs to be done,"he told Dayton."It can get pretty expensive when it's on
the scale we're talking about."To beef up training and preparedness will take more money than the federal government
currently offers,he said.
"The question is,are there critical gaps?"Dayton said Monday."Is there a way to figure out what's missing so that people are
better informed—and better trained—when something happens?"
Public Safety Commissioner Ramona Dohman said her office will begin offering training next month on the basics of
emergency preparedness regarding oil trains.She called such training"Bakken 101,"a reference to North Dakota's Bakken
oil fields.
Rep.Frank Homstein,DFL-Minneapolis,said the Legislature is trying to get a better handle on rail and pipeline safety.A total
of$13 million will be spent over the next three years to study and improve the safety of rail and pipelines that carry crude oil
across the state.About$2 million of that will be for improving the most dangerous grade crossings,he said.
He acknowledged that it's just a start.Recent reports on the state's crude-by-rail traffic said that 50 oil trains,each loaded
with more than 1 million gallons of North Dakota crude,pass through Minnesota each week.Oil trains more than 100 cars
long pass through 39 of the state's 87 counties,much of it concentrated on the BNSF line between Moorhead and the Twin
Cities.
"There is a perfect storm of challenges,"said Homstein,chairman of the House Transportation Finance Committee.
The state also is required to present a report by Jan.15 that summarizes its preparedness,including an emergency risk
assessment and cost estimates to address the state's rail safety needs.
None of the officials gathered at Little Canada City Hall on Monday expected or demanded solutions to myriad concerns any
time soon.But they want information.
"We really want open communication,"said Rick Montour,acting mayor of Little Canada.
Said Maplewood Mayor Nora Slawik:"We'd like to know what types of products are being shipped."
Added Emy Johnson,a Shoreview City Council member."I think bringing us together today is certainly a start."