Without Keystone, oil trains may cause 6 deaths per year -US State Dept report

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Wed Feb 5, 2014, 11:53 AM - Edit history (1)

Hat tip: Canadian Railroads > Keystone XL or 6 Deaths Per Year from Oil Trains

Without Keystone, oil trains may cause 6 deaths per year -US State Dept report

Sun Feb 2, 2014 9:47pm EST

Feb 2 (Reuters) - Replacing the Keystone XL pipeline with oil-laden freight trains from Canada may result in an average of six additional rail-related deaths per year, according to a U.S. State Department report that is adding to pressure for President Barack Obama to approve the line.

The long-awaited study, released on Friday, focused on the environmental impact of TransCanada's $5.4 billion pipeline, but also spent several pages analyzing the potential human impact of various ways to transport oil, using historical injury and fatality statistics for railways and oil pipelines.

Although it excluded the runaway oil train derailment that killed 47 people in Lac Megantic, Quebec, last summer, the tragedy that first shone a critical light on the rapidly expanding trend in shipping crude by rail, the findings highlight the risks or railway transport versus pipes.

Shipping another 830,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude "would result in an estimated 49 additional injuries and six additional fatalities for the No Action rail scenarios compared to one additional injury and no fatalities" per year if Keystone XL is built, according to the report.

ETA: DOS links galore.

U.S. Department of State Keystone XL Pipeline Project

On January 31, 2014, the Department of State:

Released a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the 2012 Presidential Permit application for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. The Final SEIS is available at: http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/finalseis/index.htm;

Published a Fact Sheet regarding the release of the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. The Fact Sheet is available at http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/documents/organization/221283.pdf;

Published a Media Note announcing the release of the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. The Media Note is available at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/01/221112.htm;

Posted independent engineering assessments and associated documents prepared by Battelle and Exponent. The documents are available at http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/proj_docs/engineering/index.htm;

Posted additional information regarding potential organizational conflicts of interest disclosed by Environmental Resources Management (ERM), which is the Department’s third-party contractor. The documents are available at http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/admindocs/conflicts/index.htm; and

Posted the Environmental Report prepared for TransCanada Keystone Pipeline LP by exp Energy Services and submitted to the Department of State on September 7, 2012. The Report is available at http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/proj_docs/environmental/index.htm.

The Presidential Permit review process now focuses on whether the proposed Project serves the national interest, which involves consideration of many factors including: energy security; environmental, cultural, and economic impacts; foreign policy; and compliance with relevant federal regulations and issues. During this time, the Department will consult with, at least, the eight agencies identified in Executive Order 13337: the Departments of Defense, Justice, Interior, Commerce, Transportation, Energy, Homeland Security, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

A 30-day public comment period begins on February 5, 2014 and will close on March 7, 2014. During this period, members of the public and other interested parties are encouraged to submit comments on the national interest determination to http://www.regulations.gov . Comments are not private and will be made public. Comments may also be mailed directly to:

U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Energy Resources, Room 4843
Attn: Keystone XL Public Comments
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520

ETA, on February 5:

The docket is now open for comments. Go to http://www.regulations.gov and enter this docket number: DOS-2014-0003-0001.

Presidential Permit Applications: TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P, National Interest Determination

[bluedigger]

1. "Although it excluded the runaway oil train derailment that killed 47 people"

Fucking statistics.