MAIN TRACK DERAILMENT, CN UNIT CRUDE OIL TRAIN, NEAR GOGAMA, ONTARIO. AT LEAST 15 TANK CARS ON FIRE

FEBRUARY 14, 2015

GOGAMA, ONTARIO, CANADA

The occurrence

On 14 February 2015 at about 23:50 EST, a Canadian National (CN) unit train, hauling 100 tank cars loaded with petroleum crude oil (UN1267, Class 3 PG I), was proceeding east on the Ruel Subdivision when 29 tank cars derailed near Gogama, ON. 

Initially, 7 cars were reportedly involved in a fire. 

Subsequently, the TSB determined that at least 15 tank cars were breached and had released various amounts of product.  

There were no injuries, no evacuation and no immediate threat to the public, other than the environmental contamination and the burning of the nearby trees and plants.

SOURCE: Transportation Safety Board of Canada

BSEE, BOEM Issue Proposed Regulations to Ensure Safe and Responsible Exploratory Drilling Offshore Alaska

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today released proposed regulations to ensure that future exploratory drilling activities on the U.S. Arctic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) are done safely and responsibly, subject to strong and proven operational standards.

The proposed Arctic-specific regulations released today focus solely on offshore exploration drilling operations within the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea Planning Areas. Using a combination of performance-based and prescriptive standards, the proposed regulations codify and further develop current Arctic-specific operational standards that seek to ensure that operators take the necessary steps to plan through all phases of offshore exploration in the Arctic, including mobilization, drilling, maritime transport and emergency response, and conduct safe drilling operations while in theater.

“The Arctic has substantial oil and gas potential, and the U.S. has a longstanding interest in the orderly development of these resources, which includes establishing high standards for the protection of this critical ecosystem, the surrounding communities, and the subsistence needs and cultural traditions of Alaska Natives,” said Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. “These proposed regulations issued today extend the Administration’s thoughtful approach to balanced oil and gas exploration in the Arctic, and are designed to ensure that offshore exploratory activities will continue to be subject to the highest safety standards.”

The proposed regulations codify requirements that all Arctic offshore operators and their contractors are appropriately prepared for Arctic conditions and that operators have developed an integrated operations plan that details all phases of the exploration program for purposes of advance planning and risk assessment. With an emphasis on safe and responsible exploration, the proposed rule also would require operators to submit region-specific oil spill response plans, have prompt access to source control and containment equipment, and have available a separate relief rig to timely drill a relief well in the event of a loss of well control. The proposed rule continues to allow for technological innovation, as long as the operator can demonstrate that the level of its safety and environmental performance satisfies the standards set forth in the proposed rule.

“The proposed rule codifies existing Arctic-specific standards and establishes the rules of the road for all companies interested in safe and responsible Arctic exploration,” said Assistant Secretary for Land Minerals Management Janice Schneider. “In turn, these rules would facilitate exploration planning efforts and provide regulatory certainty, while ensuring that the U.S. maintains its leadership position in overseeing safe exploration operations that protect this unique and sensitive environment.”

The proposed regulations have been developed with significant up-front public input from the State of Alaska, North Slope communities, industry and non-governmental organizations. The proposed regulations will be open for additional public comment to ensure transparency and solicit feedback from all stakeholders. Interior will continue rigorous stakeholder engagement as well as formal tribal consultation in the region. A draft Environmental Assessment, required by the National Environmental Policy Act, is also available for public comment.

The Alaska OCS is an integral part of the Nation’s “all-of-the-above” domestic energy strategy. The Department in January released the Draft Proposed Program (DPP) for the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2017-2022, which is an early step in a multi-year process to develop a plan to guide the Nation’s offshore oil and gas leasing. Offshore Alaska, the draft proposed plan continues to take a careful approach by utilizing the targeted leasing strategy set forth in the current program, and recognizing the substantial environmental, social and ecological concerns in the Arctic. The DPP proposes three potential lease sales offshore Alaska, including making available for leasing areas that contain 90% of undiscovered technically recoverable oil and gas resources in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.

“As we make the vast majority of the Arctic oceans offshore Alaska available for oil and gas leasing, we have an obligation to provide the American people with confidence that these shared resources can be developed responsibly,” said Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Abigail Ross Hopper.

In January 2013, former Secretary Ken Salazar directed a high-level review of Shell’s 2012 offshore drilling program in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas – including the company’s preparations for the 2012 drilling season and its maritime and emergency response operations – to identify challenges and lessons learned.

In March 2013, the Department released the findings of the assessment, which also included recommendations to guide future exploratory activities. The proposed regulations released today incorporate some of the lessons learned from Shell’s 2012 operations and recommendations from the Department’s review.

“This proposed rule is designed to ensure safe energy exploration in unforgiving Arctic conditions,” said Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Director Brian Salerno. “It builds upon our existing Arctic-specific standards and experience with previous operations offshore Alaska, encourages further development of technology, and includes rigorous safeguards to protect the fragile environment.”

The public may submit comments on the proposed Arctic regulations during the 60-day comment period that begins when the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register. The proposed regulations are available HERE.

RECORD FROZEN AND/OR BURST PIPES IN NEW JERSEY THIS WINTER. LITTLE RELIEF IN SIGHT, AS THE NUMBER OF BURSTING PIPES WILL INCREASE THIS WEEKEND

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

For Ruth Baker, frozen pipes are not uncommon.

She recognizes that cold snaps are part of many South Jersey winters, and plumbing problems are an inevitable result of prolonged cold.

She has lived in the same house in Absecon for 30 years. Her pipes have frozen, then thawed. But she has never been without a bathroom for almost a week. No shower. No toilet.

A weeklong deep freeze over South Jersey has led to a wave of frozen and burst water pipes, and that has plumbers and fire companies scrambling to keep up with calls.

Baker shivers her way to a neighbor’s home to use the bathroom, or to the gym to use the shower.

But perhaps the biggest scramble in South Jersey is the search for a plumber. Those in the trade are more flooded with phone calls the longer it stays frozen.

Now retired, Baker has nowhere she has to be. She passes the time reading, or working in her in-house ceramics studio. But while being without water is hard, the waiting may be even harder.

“I feel like a prisoner in my home waiting for someone to come,” she said.

Someone already came to help Baker once this week; a plumber had water flowing at her home Wednesday. But the persistent cold proved too much, and 24 hours later, her bathroom was again unusable.

Plumbers are battling back against the cold. Some, such as Ethan Brown, of Nece’s Plumbing and Heating of Rio Grande, have been working into the early morning hours.

Others, such as Tom Byrd, of Thomas Byrd Plumbing in Egg Harbor Township, have seen service calls more than quadruple. He realizes there’s little relief in sight, from both the cold and his workload.

“Just because we’re in the 40s one day (Sunday), we will not totally thaw,” said Byrd. Several consecutive days above freezing are necessary to fully thaw and resolve all issues.

But that won’t be the case anytime soon. Another prolonged stretch of below freezing temperatures will begin Monday.

Matt Calloway, of TLC Mechanical in Ocean View, said pipes are not the only home furnishings that are susceptible to the extreme temperatures. One problem this year is related to higher-efficiency heaters being installed in homes. Unlike older, less efficient models, 90 percent efficient heaters produce water that needs to be drained to the outside of a home. The extreme cold freezes the water in the drains, causing heaters to stop working. Just like frozen pipes, heaters have to be thawed and serviced.

No matter which plumber you talk to, the advice they offer is the same. While nothing can guarantee pipes remain unfrozen, preventive measures can help. What they recommend: insulating pipes, letting your faucet drip and making sure crawl spaces are secure from the wind.

Barrier islands are especially susceptible to gusty winds. Unsecured crawl spaces and homeowner neglect, especially to second homes, are part of the reason island fire departments have been inundated with calls all week.

Chief Chris Breunig, of the Ocean City Fire Department, estimates his department has had 500 calls this week, so many that they deferred some to the water department. He classifies 50 of those calls as “major interior water leaks causing extensive damage to those properties.”

Absecon Island has seen similar issues. Frank Ricciotti, director of public works in Margate, said his department had shut off water to well over 100 homes and was anticipating a lot more.

“We are starting to get control of it,” he said. “But there are still plenty of houses out there leaking.”

Typically in February, Margate uses about 600,000 gallons of water each day. But that number was substantially higher this week, and officials believe the higher water use is due to leaking pipes.

On Monday, 1 million gallons were used, and on Tuesday, 1.5 million, Ricciotti said. On Wednesday, water use had reached 1.8 million gallons.

Fire departments, public works and water companies work together to stop the water and prevent further damage to the property. They stress that only a plumber can permanently fix any issue.

But despite an increased workload, “we’re here to help,” said Margate Fire Chief Anthony Tabasso, “and if we can’t, we’ll steer people in the right direction.”

BURST SPRINKLER PIPE CAUSES FLOODING; IONIA CO., MICHIGAN COURTHOUSE CLOSED

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

IONIA, MICHIGAN (WOOD)

Mother Nature brought justice to a temporary halt in Ionia Friday, after the frigid weather is believed to have caused a sprinkler pipe to burst, flooding the historic courthouse.

Courthouse employees could hear water running through the walls and down the elevators shaft of the 130-year-old courthouse just before 9:00 a.m. Friday morning.

Officials say the damage could have been much worse if not for the quick action of some court employees, including a judge and the county prosecutor, who helped carry out the evacuation.

And by carry out, we mean just that.

Probate Court Judge Robert Sykes Junior was handling a guardianship case involving a 95-year-old woman who uses a wheelchair.

“My staff was slipped a note indicating there was a major water break and the courthouse was to be evacuated immediately,” said Judge Sykes.

The elevator was out, as water was making its way down the shaft. They’d have to take the stairs.

So the judge and County Prosecutor Schafer did what they needed to do.

“We executed the two person lift and carried the lady down two flights of stairs,” said Judge Sykes. “I think she was a little bit concerned that we were going to drop her. She was a very pleasant lady. 95 years old and she just wanted to get out of here, so we carrier her down. She thanked us and away she went.”

it’s not clear just how many gallons came from the water sprinkler pipe, which carries water for the fire sprinkler system all the way up to the courthouse’s upper floor.

It was enough to create about a foot of standing water in some areas of the lower level.

When the water came down, employees went to work.

“It was a good response by everybody in the building,” said Doug DeVries, Ionia County’s Emergency Management Director.

They formed bucket brigades to keep the water from rising near critical equipment in the basement.

That effort helped keep the water from damaging vital components to the courthouse operations, like computer servers.

Damage was confined to carpet and drywall in the basement.

“It could have been much worse. Yes. Absolutely,” said DeVries.

Barring any unforeseen problems, the courthouse should reopen Monday morning.

EXXON APPEALS $1 MILLION PENALTY FOR YELLOWSTONE RIVER SPILL

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

BILLINGS, MONTANA

Exxon Mobil Corp. has asked federal regulators to reconsider a $1 million penalty imposed against the oil giant over a 63,000-gallon crude spill into Montana's Yellowstone River.

The Texas-based company asked the Department of Transportation to withdraw three of its four findings of pipeline safety violations. It also asked for the penalty amount to be reduced.

Safety regulators said Exxon Mobil failed to adequately heed warnings that its 20-year-old Silvertip Pipeline was at risk from flooding.

An Exxon attorney said in the petition for reconsideration filed Feb. 12 that the company was justified in determining flooding was not a great danger following a 2010 risk assessment.

That conclusion proved wrong. The spill left oil along an 85-mile stretch of the Yellowstone, killing fish and wildlife and prompting a cleanup that took months.

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NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND RESTORATION

HISTORY

On July 1, 2011, a 12-inch diameter pipeline owned by the ExxonMobil Pipeline Company ruptured near Laurel, Montana, resulting in the discharge of approximately 63,000 gallons of crude oil into the Yellowstone River and floodplain. This occurred at the peak of an extended high water event which is estimated to occur only once every 35 years.  The Yellowstone River Oil Spill affected the Yellowstone River and its floodplain for approximately 85 miles downstream.

Response activities were initiated soon after the oil spill. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) led the response, which was undertaken by the ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, in coordination with the State of Montana and other federal agencies. Response activities involved over 1,000 personnel engaged in cleanup and shoreline assessment of approximately 11,000 acres along 85 miles. In September 2011, EPA demobilized from the site, and the site has now transitioned from emergency cleanup into long-term monitoring, assessment and reclamation, under the direction of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. It is estimated that little of the estimated 63,000 gallons of oil discharged into the Yellowstone River and floodplain was recovered.

Oil from the Yellowstone River Oil Spill, along with the cleanup activities themselves, harmed natural resources and the natural resource services provided, including but not limited to, fish and other aquatic organisms, birds (including migratory birds), wildlife, large woody debris piles, aquatic habitat, terrestrial habitat, and the services provided by these natural resources. These public natural resources are under the jurisdiction of the State of Montana and the United States.  These governments are using the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration process to evaluate and document the amount of harm caused by the Yellowstone River Oil Spill, and will seek compensation from the Responsible Party, the ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, to restore natural resources harmed by the oil spill.

US EPA

NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND RESTORATION

Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) is the process used by governments to seek compensation for natural resources injured or destroyed due to oil or other hazardous substances. In the NRDAR process, the appropriate governmental entities are identified as “Trustees.”  Compensation sought through the process is used by the Trustees to restore, rehabilitate, replace, or acquire the equivalent of injured natural resources and services to pre-spill conditions.  Compensation is sought from the party responsible for the damage, in this case, the Exxon Mobil Pipeline Company.

TRUSTEES

For the Yellowstone River Oil Spill, the State Trustee is the Governor of the State of Montana. The federal Trustee is the United States Department of the Interior, as represented by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the State of Montana are Co-Lead Administrative Trustees.

DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

The Trustees began data collection to understand the Yellowstone River Oil Spill’s impact on natural resources when flows dropped sufficiently to allow government staff safe access.  Since that time, the Trustees have reviewed data collected during the response action, as well as gathered data and information to date on such things as soil, water, sediments, large woody debris piles, fish, birds, wildlife, and their habitats, recreational use and closures.

Some NRDAR data was collected cooperatively between the Trustees and ExxonMobil Pipeline Company. As required by law, the Trustees invited the Responsible Party, the ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, to participate in the natural resource damage assessment, although Responsible Party involvement remains in the sole discretion of the Trustees, should the Trustees view the company’s participation as causing interference with the Trustees’ ability to fulfill their Trustee responsibilities.

The Trustees have decided to conduct Restoration Planning to assess damages and restore the resources. Collection and review of data will continue as Trustees work to further identify and quantify the Yellowstone River Oil Spill’s impacts, as part of the injury assessment.  The Trustees will also begin restoration alternative evaluation, identifying projects that benefit the same or similar resources injured by the oil spill.  The public will have the opportunity for review and comment on the draft assessment and restoration plan. Other opportunities for public involvement may occur prior to that time if the Trustees see that such involvement could enhance Trustees’ decision-making or avoid delays in restoration.

MAJOR CATEGORIES OF NATURAL RESOURCE INJURY

The full nature and extent of injuries will be determined during the injury assessment phase of restoration planning. As part of its preassessment activities, the Trustees identified a number of categories where injuries have resulted, or are likely to result from the Incident. These categories include, but not limited to:

Fish, reptiles, and amphibians: Natural resources have been and may continue to be lost, injured and/or threatened as a result of discharged oil, including, without limitation, injury to fish and fish habitat, including, but not limited to, gill abnormalities and external lesions and ulcers on surviving fish. Other receptors and their habitats were also potentially exposed and injured, including but not limited to: reptiles (including turtles) and amphibians (including frogs).

Montana FWP

Birds: Natural resources have been and continue to be lost, injured and/or threatened as a result of discharged oil and associated response activities, including, without limitation, injury to birds, including the American White Pelican, a State species of concern, owls and other cavity nesting birds, and bird habitat. Other receptors also potentially lost, injured and/or threatened, along with their habitat, include but are not limited to: passerine birds, waterfowl, shorebirds, and raptors.

International Bird Rescue

Floodplain habitat: Natural resources have been and continue to be lost, injured and/or threatened as a result of discharged oil and associated response activities, including, without limitation, injury to both bottomland/riparian lands, and grassland/shrubland. For example, on significant acreage, oil was allowed to degrade over time. Where response actions were taken, adverse effects occurred and continue to occur, for example, the use of heavy equipment (e.g., all-terrain vehicles, skid steers, excavators), and the building of staging grounds, footpaths, temporary roads, and vehicle tracks.

Large Woody Debris Piles: One of the Yellowstone River’s distinguishing attributes as the longest undammed river in the lower 48 states is the existence of large woody debris piles. Large woody debris piles play an important role in channel morphological processes and aquatic and riparian habitat formation, including cottonwood tree regeneration. Natural resources have been and continue to be lost, injured and/or threatened as a result of discharged oil and associated response activities, including, without limitation, injury to large woody debris piles and cottonwood tree regeneration.

Human use: Natural resource services have been and continue to be lost, injured and/or threatened as a result of discharged oil and associated response activities. These may include, without limitation, diminished and/or lost use and non-use values, including but not limited to fishing and other recreational uses. For example, fishing and other recreational uses were prohibited, curtailed, or otherwise adversely affected, either directly or indirectly, at parks, fishing access sites, Bureau of Land Management property, and on or adjacent to the Yellowstone River.