Local government leaders are pleased with Thursday's call from the Transportation Safety Board for stronger safety measures when shipping crude oil by rail in the wake of last summer's Lac Mgantic disaster.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has been "leading calls for railway companies and Transport Canada to conduct a comprehensive review of all possible safety risks to our cities and communities posed by the transportation of dangerous goods by rail," said a statement by FCM president Claude Dauphin. "Our partnership with the federal government is already producing positive changes and we expect to make similar progress on the remaining safety issues."
Part of that progress was a directive signed in November for railway companies with dangerous goods passing through municipalities to provide the local government's emergency planning official with information as to the nature and volume of those goods.
Prince George is one of those communities getting that information, said Coun. Cameron Stolz, who sits on the FCM's railway proximity dispute resolution committee.
"That's especially important for Prince George given the fact that we are the central hub for everything coming from northern B.C.," Stolz said. "Most of the stuff coming from northern Alberta or Saskatchewan, whether it's potash - there's already oil traveling by rail through our community - whether it's coal, or whatever other chemicals are being produced out of the Edmonton area. So I think that's important to recognize that that information is important for our community."
The three recommendations made to Transport Canada by both the Canada's safety board and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board call for tougher standards for Class 111 tank cars, strategic route planning and and emergency response assistance plans (ERAPs)along routes where large volumes of liquid hydrocarbons (commonly, petroleum or mineral oil) are being shipped.
"The amount of crude oil now being shipped by rail in North America is staggering," said safety board chair Wendy Tadros.
"Today's TSB report reaffirms the necessity of expanding ERAPs to crude oil product," said Dauphin. "We are also recommending that other exempt flammable liquids like ethanol also require ERAPs. We cannot afford to wait to make this important change."
