In a statement released Monday, the Spokane City Council called for stricter oil train rules following an oil train derailment in Mosier, Oregon, last week. They also announced an oil train community safety forum coming up at the end of the month. City Council President Ben Stuckart said in the statement that the City of Spokane must again address the issue of shipping Bakken crude oil through the Inland Northwest.
In light of the recent oil train derailment in Mosier, Oregon, the City of Spokane must again address the issue of shipping Bakken crude oil through the Inland Northwest and its waterways. There have been at least 26 oil train derailments or spills in North America over the last 10 years. Several of these have resulted in deaths, and all of them represent an untenable risk to human safety and our environment.
According to the Mosier Fire Chief, this derailment could have resulted in catastrophic fires had the wind speeds been at their usual levels. We can’t rely on this kind of good fortune. We must expect the worst, and plan accordingly.
Here in Spokane, an accident just like the one in Mosier could cripple the entire region. Nearly half a million people rely on the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer for their daily drinking water.