Oil trains numbers in north Idaho likely to rise

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) -- The number of oil trains moving through north Idaho is expected to increase in coming years, raising fears of accidents.

BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas says an average of 1.5 loaded oil trains move through north Idaho each day. The trains roll through Sandpoint, Athol, Rathdrum and Hauser from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota and Montana to coastal refineries.

An oil train typically has about 100 rail cars and each car holds about 29,000 gallons, the Coeur d'Alene Press (http://bit.ly/1irKswD) reported.

Union Pacific, the other railroad that transports commodities through the Idaho Panhandle, carries crude oil that is interspersed with cars holding other products, spokesman Aaron Hunt said.

Melonas said the volume of oil trains coming through north Idaho is expected to increase.

"It's all demand-driven, but we certainly know it's a growing trend," he said.

Only time will tell if safety measures are sufficient.

"I'll believe it when I see it," said Shannon Williamson, executive director of Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper in Sandpoint. It's one thing to make safety promises, and another to see them come to fruition, she said.

U.S. crude oil production is forecast to rise. Railroads transported more than 400,000 carloads of crude in 2013, up from 9,500 in 2008.

There have been three fiery explosions involving trainloads of Bakken crude in the past year. Last July, 47 people were killed in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. At least 10 times since 2008, trains hauling oil across North American have derailed and spilled crude, with most causing fires.

BNSF is planning to buy up to 5,000 new crude oil tank cars that go beyond industry standards adopted two years ago.

Melonas said 60 percent of the oil tanks on the BNSF line through north Idaho are newer-designed cars that have thicker steel than the older models, reinforced shields and improved valve design.

Melonas said BNSF has not had a fatality on its northern tier as a result of a hazmat release since 1981.

Mike Mather, training chief for the Northern Lakes Fire District that serves Rathdrum and Hayden, said local fire districts have trained with BNSF to deal with accidents.

"The rail industry can be tight-lipped about some of its operations," Mather said. "There still needs to be more discussion on this subject."

The oil boom has prompted several proposals for more crude oil unloading terminals in the region.

Williamson's environmental group is concerned about those proposals, because they mean even more oil tanks moving through north Idaho.

"We're not receiving any benefit whatsoever. We're just in harm's way," she said.

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Information from: Coeur d'Alene Press, http://www.cdapress.com