MASSIVE TANKER EXPLOSION HIGHLIGHTS WATER POLLUTION, RAILROAD SAFETY, OIL AND CHEMICAL SAFETY ISSUES. LACK OF PROPER RAIL TRACK MAINTENANCE IS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE DISASTER

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA

The derailment and massive explosion of a crude oil tanker train highlights threats to drinking water, as well as concerns about shipping crude oil and chemicals, advocates say.
The train derailment in Fayette County on Monday forced American West Virginia Water to suspend tap water supplies to 2,000 residents of Montgomery, 28 miles upstream from Charleston.
Maya Nye, executive director of People Concerned About Chemical Safety, says a train on the same line - also carrying crude oil - derailed in Virginia last April. That accident caused a huge explosion that forced the evacuation of downtown Lynchburg.
"This is the second train derailment of crude oil shipment along this rail line in less than a year," says Nye. "There have been massive explosions. It just goes to show you how dangerous this stuff really is."
Officials say the derailment set 14 tankers on fire and spilled oil into the Kanawha River, set a house on fire and threatened local drinking water. No serious injuries have been reported as a result of the accident.
The derailment and spill come just as the state legislature is considering a bill to roll back oil and gas storage regulations passed after the Elk River chemical spill last year. Nye says many lawmakers want to gut those drinking water protections, but she notes another bill under consideration would add pollution protections on one section of the Kanawha River.

"There was a public hearing talking about removing an exemption from the Kanawha River to try to make it safe for a drinking water source for Charleston," says Nye. "Then this kind of thing happens."
It is unclear if the oil spill upstream will impact the Kanawha River in Charleston.

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DERAILED CSX TRAIN IN WEST VIRGINIA HAULED NEWER-MODEL AAR CPC-1232 TANK CARS.  THUS, EVEN THE “SAFER” TANK CARS ARE NOT SAFE ENOUGH, AS AT LEAST ONE EXPLODED AND OTHERS ARE STILL BURNING.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015

A CSX Corp (CSX.N) oil train that derailed and erupted in flames in West Virginia on Monday was hauling newer model tank cars, not the older DOT-111 versions widely criticized for being prone to puncture, the firm said.

All of the oil tank cars on the 109-car train were CPC 1232 models, CSX said late Monday. The train, which was carrying North Dakota crude to an oil depot in Yorktown, Virginia, derailed in a small town 33 miles (54 km) southeast of Charleston. 

What is CPC-1232?

CPC stands for Casualty Prevention Circular. The AAR (Association of American Railroads) issued Circular letter CPC-1232 which specifies new rail tank cars standards for transporting crude oil or ethanol. As of October 10, 2011, new tank cars built for transporting crude oil and ethanol comply with these new specifications:

·         Half-Height Head Sheilds

·         Thicker tank and head material

·         Normalized steel

·         Top fitting protection

·         Pressure Relief Device(recloseable type)

Thus, the CPC 1232 is the newer, supposedly tougher version of the DOT-111 cars that were manufactured up until 2011. The DOT-111 cars have been faulted by regulators and operators for a number of years. U.S. and Canadian authorities, under pressure to address a spate of fiery accidents, are seeking to phase out the older models.

On Monday, as many as nine or 10 cars on the CSX train erupted in flames following the derailment, and at least one careened into the nearby Kanawha River. No one was reported seriously injured, but the fire destroyed one house and two nearby towns were evacuated.  The governor’s office released a statement Tuesday saying that 26 tankers had derailed and that “19 of those tankers were involved in the fire.”

The twitter photos show that explosions occurred, presumably of the tank cars.  A tank car can carry up to 30,000 gallons of oil. Billowing flames could still be seen coming from several rail cars late Monday. The cars were being allowed to burn themselves out, probably because people are afraid of any explosions. 

When a tank car catches fire, then the liquid inside will boil.  The expanding vapor then can cause an explosion.  This sometimes is referred to as BLEVE and it stands for Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion. The huge fireballs seen in the West Virginia derailment and in the Castleton, ND derailment were due to oil tank cars that began to boil causing a BLEVE or a violent explosive fireball.

It was the second significant oil-train incident in three days following a Canadian National Railways (CNR.TO) train from Alberta's oil sands that derailed in a wooded area of northern Ontario on Feb. 14. CN said 29 of 100 cars were involved and seven caught fire. No injuries were reported.

It was also the second derailment in a year along the same CSX line. A similar incident in Lynchburg, Virginia, involved a train that was also headed to Plains All American Pipelines LP's (PAA.N) oil depot in Yorktown, Virginia.

A boom in oil shipments by rail and a spate of derailments across North America have put heightened focus on rail safety. In July 2013, 47 people were killed in the Quebec town of Lac-Mégantic after a train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded.