A dozen or more trains carrying crude oil from the Bakken region are moving across northern Montana every week, skirting the edge of Glacier national park.
More trains -- far fewer in number - pass through populated regions farther south.
Governor Steve Bullock released the route information this week, making Montana the latest state to buck railroads’ requests to keep the information out of public hands.
Inside Energy’s Dan Boyce reports.
Chief Legal Counsel in the Montana Governor’s Office Andy Huff points to the state’s constitution, which has a very strong provision--the public’s right to know.
“Which is a constitutional right for Montanans and people in Montana to examine government documents.”
So pretty much all information the government has is open for inspection.
“And the only way we can prevent the public from viewing documents is if there’s a privacy interest that outweighs the public right to know.”
The Federal Department of Transportation recently issued an emergency disclosure rule for crude oil shipments. As of early this month, trains carrying more than a million gallons of crude oil from the Bakken region in North Dakota and Montana have to tell states when and where those trains are rolling through.
Bakken oil is believed to be more volatile--more dangerous and explosive, than oil from other regions.
“There’s a rail line right in the middle of downtown Billings. There’s one right in the middle of downtown Missoula, some of our biggest towns in Montana.”
Derf Johnson is a staff attorney with the nonprofit Montana Environmental Information Center.
“To think of the devastation that could be caused if something were to go wrong, it’s incredibly concerning.”
This past April, hundreds were evacuated from downtown Lynchburg, Virginia after another fiery crash. The federal government wants first responders and emergency planners to know about these trains--so they can be prepared for a worst case scenario.
Railroad companies have been arguing that’s all who should know. And several states, like Wyoming and Colorado have agreed, they will not publicly release the data.
The railroad company BNSF ships by far the most Bakken crude on its trains - 80 percent in fact, according to Inside Energy analysis. BNSF argued that the release of this information would harm competitiveness, and they say it could compromise security. But apparently, the feds don’t agree. Andy Huff with the Montana Governor’s Office says they asked federal officials about the railroads’ concerns.
“And they told us no, that it wasn’t sensitive security information.”
BNSF wouldn’t talk on tape for this story, but in a statement they say they will continue to supply the route information to state agencies. And what happens then is apparently up to the states.
Environmentalist Derf Johnson is happy the public now has this information, but he hopes more steps are taken soon.
“Increased safety standards surrounding oil trains, increased track inspections, lower speed limits…”
The Department of Transportation is considering tighter safety regulations regarding the type of tank cars transporting oil-- regulations which could cost the industry billions.
To see animated maps of where crude shipments begin and end, go to:
http://insideenergy.org/2014/06/25/train-waybills-unlock-crude-oil-mysteries/
