Although the demise of a proposed oil terminal at the Port of Vancouver appears imminent, oil-bearing trains will continue to roll through Vancouver and other populated areas of Clark County. Because of that, a decision by the Trump administration to scale back some safety regulations for oil trains is cause for concern.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced last week that it would overturn a 2015 decision requiring trains that carry hazardous materials to have electronically controlled pneumatic brakes by 2021. Proponents say electronic brakes work more quickly than the air brakes that are the industry standard, thereby helping to prevent derailments.
Residents in Washington and Oregon are well aware of the danger involved. Last year, 14 cars from a Union Pacific train derailed near Mosier, Ore., in the Columbia River Gorge, spilling 42,000 gallons of crude oil and sparking a fire that burned for 14 hours. As U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said in the wake of last week’s decision: “Oil trains are rolling explosion hazards, and as we’ve seen all too many times — and all too recently in Mosier — it’s not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’ oil train derailments will occur. Degrading of oil train safety requirements is a huge step backward and one that puts our land, homes and lives at risk.”
The issue of oil-train safety has been at the forefront in Clark County since 2013, when the Port of Vancouver signed an agreement for the construction and operation of an oil terminal at the port. In the wake of last month’s election, anti-terminal forces have a majority on the board, leading to assumptions that the lease will be terminated; in addition, a state regulatory board said it would recommend to Gov. Jay Inslee that the project be rejected. But even if the project is scuttled, oil trains will continue to carry crude through the area on the way to refineries in northern Washington.
