Advertisement

Freight train carrying oil crashes, ignites in Illinois

Oil spills involving train accidents have risen sharply in recent years, eliciting concern about crude transportation in the United States.

By Doug G. Ware

GALENA, Ill., March 5 (UPI) -- A freight train hauling more than 100 cars of oil derailed in rural northwest Illinois on Thursday, which ignited at least two of the containers of crude, the railroad said.

The train, operated by BNSF Railway, crashed near the small town of Galena near Illinois' border with Iowa. The locomotive was hauling 103 cars of oil and two "buffer" cars that were filled with sand. Emergency officials said at least five cars derailed and two carrying crude caught fire.

Advertisement

"BNSF is working with local responders and has notified the Federal Railroad Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board of the incident," the railway said, also noting that no one was injured.

The scene of the crash is near the Mississippi River, officials said, raising concern that oil or associated byproducts might infiltrate the water. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is on the scene monitoring the situation, NBC News reported.

Advertisement

The cause of the derailment is not yet known and a Galena city official said the crash does not pose any threat to the surrounding communities.

"Protection of the communities we serve, the safety of our employees and protection of the environment are our highest priorities," BNSF Railway said in a news release. "We are guided by these priorities as we respond to this situation."

It wasn't immediately revealed where the train was headed.

Potential catastrophes involving crude-carrying trains have recently spurred great concern from environmental advocates, government officials and the public at large.

A train carrying crude derailed and caught fire in West Virginia just last month, forcing the evacuation of nearby neighborhoods. Many cars containing highly combustible crude oil ignited and sent massive fireballs into the sky. Officials allowed the fire to burn itself out, which took three days.

In June 2013, another freight train derailed in Quebec and exploded -- heavily damaging an urban center nearby and killing nearly 50 people.

Last May, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued new protocols and improved safety guidelines designed to make crude travel by train as safe as it can be.

Advertisement

"The safety of our nation's railroad system, and the people who live along rail corridors is of paramount concern," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. "All options are on the table when it comes to improving the safe transportation of crude oil."

Two years ago, a government analysis said about 1 million barrels of crude oil are produced in the regions of North Dakota and Montana every day. More than 10 percent of the nation's harvested oil travels by freight train, officials say, largely due to the fact that there is no pipeline infrastructure in some parts of the United States.

The controversial Keystone XL pipeline system carries oil from Canada to the U.S. Midwest and Texas, covering thousands of miles. Since it was commissioned in 2010, all but two phases of the pipeline have been completed.

But sentiment of the system varies greatly. In 2011, NASA scientist and climate change expert James Hansen condemned Keystone XL -- saying it would hasten the extraction of particularly dirty crude and facilitate production methods that would result in the release of substantial carbon emissions.

Advertisement

"Essentially, it's game over for the planet," Hansen said then.

Latest Headlines