Living up here, I am aware of this so-called issue, and it is a lot of hype. The amount of fuel spilled is paltry compared to the amount of fuel that seeps into the Rathdrum aquifer from gas stations, truck stops, farm supply stores, even the fuel spilled from the lawnmowers of the local econuts.
Are these spills start-up teething problems, equipment failures, or just plain misoperation of equipment?
Years ago, a friend of mine dumped about 1,000 gallons while refueling a GP9. His company had a contract for supplying fuel to branch line engines. The railroad had parked the GP9 on a track that was not very accessable prior to ordering the fuel - so he stretched the hose across the main line from the station parking lot to the GP9. With only a few trains a day this was not much risk - however, you guessed it, along came a train that cut the fuel hose. He stood by helpless, watching his fuel truck pump out the load onto the ground while the main line train went by at 30 mph. Oops!
dd
Oh woe is me… the sky is falling and world will end! Oh woe is me…
Yesterday a diesel truck spilled a couple hundred gallons of fuel on I95 here in Connecticut at rush hour (poked hole in a fuel tank with a piece of something that fell off someone’s car). The only worry was the resulting traffic jam…
There’s always an environmental issue somewhere which can get some media person into a frenzy…
Add up the gallons spilled by the cars and trucks and home heating oil folks and… but they aren’t hot topics for media bashing, are they?
Update:
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality is demanding that BNSF shut down operations at the refueling depot, and they are requesting an injuction from a judge on 02/23/05. This could get interesting.
Dave – I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if BNSF did have to shut down, with a DEQ going after them. It is a sad truth today that almost anything demanded in the name of environmental preservation will be granted, isn’t worth the effort of defending by a private individual or corporation. Not that some of the demands might be justifiable; a few are – but any kind of rational analysis of the situation is out of the question.
I see a lot of them in my business… the resulting work makes us (an environmental engineering firm) and the lawyers very profitable; it also raises the cost of doing business and hence the costs of everything sky high, and can and does put a lot of folks out of work. I would say 95% of the jobs we hit are not justifiable from an environmental standpoint (never mind an economic one), but they look wonderful and make a lot of noise.
Can BNSF be re-lettered to EXXON?
BSFN… BFSN… NFSB… Nope guess not.
The EXXON reference isn’t out of context here from a local media standpoint. They’re treating this thing like it is the second coming of the Exxon Valdez.
With fuel prices where they are, you’d think BNSF would be more careful.
A district Judge in Idaho has issued an injunction ordering fueling to stop at the facility with a huge loophole…
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7019575/
Alan
BNSF could be in some trouble here. According to DEQ, the first two layers of containment (one concrete, one plastic) have cracks in them, and BNSF could be forced to make some expensive underground repairs before they are allowed to continue normal refueling operations, which could take months and would tear up most of the above ground infrastructure.
If BNSF is forced to make these expensive repairs, they might want to take action against the original contractor.
Railroad expands search for leaks at fuel depot
March 4, 2005 4:01 AM
The Associated Press
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho The search for leaks at a problem-prone northern Idaho railroad refueling depot has been expanded.
The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway has removed the rails from the fueling platform at its Hauser depot.
Leaks had been discovered in pipes carrying petroleum-laden wastewater, first in December and again in February.
==================
The article also stated the there are more people working on the repairs than it took to build the facility.
dd
BNSF stopped fueling last week in compliance with the injunction. All rails have been removed from beneath the fuel tracks. There has been drilling at the fuel tracks and holes have been dug at the ends of the uloading platform. All the fuel tracks will be covered with multiple coats of acrylic coatings after cradks are enlarged and grouted.
It is expected by the BNSF that locomotives will resume their fueling at Hauser next week, the second week in March.
Here is today’s news from north Idaho:
tru
This isn’t good. I know something like wut you described would happen to me when I get out on the railroad. Somthing simmular has happend to me in terms of dumping fuel (this has happened to me more than once). I took a truck to the fuel pumps (it was a tri axle dump truck) I filled it up with 110 gals of diesel. Anyway I got into the cab and noticed the fuel gaudge was at low so I steped out of the truck and noticed my 110 gals of fuel dumped onto the ground. It turns out the fuel tank had a huge hole in it. Of course I had to clean it up some other co workers helped. Diesel up here costs about 2.18 a gal so I wasted about 200 dollars of fuel.
This is a shame that this fuel leak occured. It doesn’t suprise me though. I was real suprised to learn that the EPA didn’t make a hugh deal out of the situation like the normaily do. I guess there really was no need to since the fuel leak didn’t reach the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer. If it did then there would be some problems.
For those are interested these may the TV news in the Lower SE as well as the newspapers here. Wonder why?
It looks like fueling will be shut down until at least April 5.
Do you know then how the BNSF is coping with refueling now?
They have pretty much gone back to the old ways. Fueling is done at Pasco, Interbay, Havre, Laurel and sometimes Missoula. I don’t know about Wenatchee for fuel. Parkwater does local units. Crews are still being changed at Hauser, mostly.