Oil by Rail Transportation

Since 2012, the transportation of crude oil by freight rail has been rapidly increasing in Washington and other states in the Pacific Northwest. The spate of derailments in Canada and the U.S. has led to new regulations in oil train operations and tank car construction, along with an increased local desire for transparency and accountability in regards to oil train routing and scheduling. In order to address these issues, the Center for Regional Disaster Resilience has begun to explore oil freight rail transportation and safety as part of its Program Areas.
Resources
Panels and Presentations
SETTING THE STAGE
​Kurt Reichert, Senior Project Manager and Vice President, HDR
​Phillip Webber, Witt O'Briens, LLC
Tamara Nicholson and Susan Dixon, Director of Rail Office, Iowa Department of Transportation & Planning and Training Bureau Chief, Iowa Homeland Security
Jared Larrabee, General Manager, Vancouver Energy

OIL TRAIN SAFETY REGULATIONS, CURRENT AND PROPOSED
Moderated by: Jessyn Farrell, Washington State Legislature
Laureen Kinney, Assistant Deputy Minister, Transport Canada
Matthew Brewer, Deputy Regional Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration Region 8
Dale Jensen, Spills Program Manager, Washington State Department of Ecology
Jason Lewis, Transportation Policy Adviser, Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission

LUNCHEON PRESENTATION
Eric Holdeman, Director, Center for Regional Disaster Resilience 

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SPILL RESPONSE
Pat Brady, National Hazmat Director, BNSF
Dan Banks, Planning, Analysis, and Logistics Program Manager, Washington Emergency Management Division 
Richard Schroedel, Supervisor, Planning and Mitigation &Recovery Section, Pierce County Emergency Management
Mike Mitchell, Assistant Chief, Tacoma Fire Department
Chad Hawkins, HAZMAT Rail Coordinator, Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal 

ECOLOGICAL SPILL RESPONSE
Moderated by: Representative Gael Tarleton, Washington State Legislature
Laureen Kinney, Assistant Deputy Minister, Transport Canada
Dave Byers, Response Section Manager, Washington State Department of Ecology, Spills Program
Captain Joe Raymond, Sector Commander, United State Coast Guard
Calvin Terada, Emergency Response Unit Manager, EPA Region 10

PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND STAKEHOLDER RESPONSE
Clare Petrich, Commissioner, Port of Tacoma
Rep. Luis Moscoso, Washington State Legislature
Rep. Barbara Smith Warner, Oregon State Legislature
Rep. Hans Zeiger, Washingotn State Legislature
Rep. Matt Manweller, Washington State Legislature
Glen Bailey, Commissioner, Bonner County, Idaho
Herb Krohn, Washington State Legislative Director, United Transportation Union

Media Coverage
Oil Train Safety in the News
2017
​2016
Oregon Oil Train Derailment:
Additional Resources

Oil and Petroleum Commodities

"Origins and Destinations" Transportation Session at 2017 PNWER Annual Summit
Each year, business leaders, legislators and government leaders from PNWER's ten states, provinces, and territories, gather to address the major policy issues impacting the region.

The 2017 PNWER Annual Summit, July 23-27 featured over 20 sessions focusing on some of the most pressing economic issues surrounding energy, tourism, agriculture, invasive species and more. The full meeting agenda, speaker bios, presentations, working group session notes, and media link is available here. 
Agenda
​Associated Webinar: 2017 PNWER Annual Summit "Oil and Petroleum Commodities" Transportation Working Group Session
  • ​Join livestreamed presentations from a number of industry experts and policymakers from the region on oil resource transportation from 2:30pm to 6:00pm on July 25th
  • Featured speakers include, but not limited to:
    • Dale Jensen, Program Manager, Spill Prevention, Preparedness & Response Program, Department of Ecology
    • Robert Dick, Assistant Deputy Minister, Pacific Region, Transport Canada
    • Robin Rorick, Group Director of Midstream and Industry Operations, American Petroleum Institute
    • Frank Holmes,  Director, Northwest Region & Marine Issues, Western States Petroleum Association
    • Jamie Kereliuk, Director, Emergency Management, Kinder Morgan Canada
    • Jared Larrabee, General Manager, Vancouver Energy

Click here to RSVP for the "Oil and Petroleum Commodities" Transportation webinar session
Click here to RSVP for the "Innovative Finance" Infrastructure webinar session
Welcome and Overview of Transportation Group Work Plan
  • Sen. Chuck Winder, Idaho State Legislature
  • Bruce Agnew, Director, Cascadia Center
 
Oil and petroleum based commodities are extracted and transported to West Coast refineries and shipped to export markets through the environmentally sensitive Salish Sea.  Product comes from Alaska, Alberta and North Dakota by pipeline, rail, tankers and barges.
​
Previous PNWER Transportation Group sessions have explored rail safety; this session will expand our view to learn more about global energy developments that affect how and when the commodity travels from its source to its refinement or export.
 
Introductory Remarks
  • Jay Derr, Partner, Van Ness Feldman
 
Update of Oil Movement in Washington State
  • Dale Jensen, Program Manager, Spill Prevention, Preparedness & Response Program, Department of Ecology     
 
Canada Action - Ocean Protection Plan
  •  Robert Dick, Assistant Deputy Minister, Pacific Region, Transport Canada
 
Markets and Exports: Global Picture for Movement of Oil
  • Robin Rorick, Group Director of Midstream and Industry Operations, American Petroleum Institute
 
Mode Overview
Operators overview the transportation of oil to market and their safety measures. Panel will discuss the impact of global markets on capacity.
 
Moderated by Robin Rorick, Group Director of Midstream and Industry Operations, American Petroleum Institute
  • Jamie Kereliuk, Director, Emergency Management, Kinder Morgan Canada
  • Teresa Perkins, Assistant Vice President, Petroleum Sales, BNSF Railway
  • Captain Robert Wenz, Assurance and HSSE Team Leader, Alaska Tanker Company
  • Frank Holmes,  Director, Northwest Region & Marine Issues, Western States Petroleum Association
 
Update on Vancouver Energy Terminal
  • Jared Larrabee, General Manager, Vancouver Energy
 
Legislative Response Panel
Moderated by Jay Derr, Partner, Van Ness Feldman and Robin Rorick, Group Director of Midstream and Industry Operations, American Petroleum Institute
  • Rep. Mark Johnson, Vice-Chair, House Committee on Energy and Environment, Oregon State Legislature
  • Sen. Curtis King, Chair, Senate Transportation Committee,  Washington State Legislature
  • Rep. David Talerico, Member, House Resources Committee, Alaska State Legislature
  • Rep. Rick Youngblood, Member, House Transportation and Defense Committee, Idaho State Legislature

Oil Train Safety Symposium

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 Transportation Working Group, co-chaired by Sen. Chuck Winder, Idaho, and Bruce Agnew, Director, Cascadia Center for Regional Development, has addressed oil by rail concerns at recent PNWER meetings. View the  PNWER's Transportation Working Group page for further information and links to past presentations. 

​Thank you to all of the 196 attendees who participated in our Oil Train Safety Symposium! The event, held April 27, 2016 in Lakewood, Washington, was a great success and 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. 

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:
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
We are grateful for the support of the following partners:
Phone: (206) 443-7723
Fax: (206) 443-7703

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