Wisconsin Group Is Part Of Federal Lawsuit To Replace Old Oil Tankers

The Sierra Club is suing the federal government, demanding that old, more vulnerable tankers carrying Bakken crude oil be pulled off the tracks.

About 45 tanker trainloads of Bakken crude from North Dakota travel through 18 Wisconsin counties every week, each loaded with at least 1 million gallons of what the U.S. Department of Transportation has classified as high-hazard flammable oil.

The group “Citizens Acting for Rail Safety” is a party in the Sierra Club lawsuit. Co-coordinator Guy Wolf of La Crosse sees the old tankers travel through his city all the time.

“These trains go right by two public schools in the city of La Crosse — grade schools, near the hospitals. As a matter of fact, 1 out of 5 people in La Crosse County are within what’s called “The Blast Zone,” said Wolf.

The Federal Railway Administration wants railroads to replace the tankers over the next two years with new cars that aren’t as vulnerable to puncturing. Wolf, however, said that’s too long to wait.

“We want the DOT to follow their own advice, which is to mandate the rail lines put the strictest safety requirements on the rail cars that are possible — including full shields and thermal blankets — and that they address the thickness of the shielding,” said Wolf.

La Crosse Fire Department hazardous materials response team leader Jeff Schott said BNSF and Canadian National railroads are in the process of replacing the old tankers.

“Anytime you want to upgrade safety and make the car safer in light of some of the incidents that have happened recently, I think it’s always a good thing,” said Schott. “Like anything else, it’s just going to take time. If the rail car industry in general is going to invest the money, in the long run we’re going to be a bit safer and I’m going to feel a little bit better.”

The FRA didn’t comment for this story because of the lawsuit.

Correction: The radio version of this story originally included a claim attributed to Jeff Schott that Canadian Pacific Railroad is replacing its old tankers. Schott actually said that Canadian National Railway is replacing old tankers.