Oil Train Safety Symposium

The Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) and the Center for Regional Disaster Resilience (CRDR) hosted an Oil Train Safety Symposium at Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood, Washington on April 27, 2016. The event drew representatives from a multitude of jurisdictions and disciplines: railroads, ports, emergency management, legislators from multiple states, Canadian officials, and federal agencies like the National Weather Service and the Department of Homeland Security. Presentations from 17 speakers gave the audience an overview of oil-by-rail in the region, explained current and proposed oil train safety regulations, reviewed public safety planning for incidents, examined local capabilities for ecological spill response and gave responses from legislators and public officials. The Transportation Working Group, co-chaired by Idaho Senator Chuck Winder and Bruce Agnew, Director of the Cascadia Center for Regional Development, has addressed oil by rail concerns at several PNWER meetings. View the PNWER Transportation Working Group page for further information and links to past presentations. 

This symposium provided a comprehensive overview of the current and future status of oil by rail transportation and emphasize partnerships to help ensure oil transport safety is being addressed across the region. By fostering dialogue between public and private sector entities, PNWER and CRDR hope to increase mutual understanding of oil train safety issues in a broad and holistic manner by including stakeholders from all parts of the supply chain both in the U.S. and Canada. The Symposium topics include an overview of the transportation of hazardous material by rail, the driving factors behind the rise of oil transportation by rail, potential safety hazards, incident response, and planning for future movement of other fuel products. Background information regarding the transport of crude oil by rail and other informational resources can be found below.

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After Action Report

Agenda

Background Information

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Topics

• Origin of oil by rail transportation
• Roles and responsibilities of stakeholders​​
• Current and emerging regulation
• Potential safety concerns
• Spill response: local capabilities and capacities 
• Planning for the future 

Audience

• Northwest legislators
• ​​Public officials at state, county, and municipal level 
• First responders and emergency management sector
• Private sector
• Economic development agencies
• Public safety and environmental  organizations 
• Utilities and ports 
• Ecology and transportation agencies 

Oil Train Safety Symposium Photos