27 June 2014

Railroading oil trains through Whitefish

Oil trains can comprise 100 or more tank cars, and stretch more than mile end-to-end. They can’t be hidden. If private citizens and local governments want to monitor trains carrying Bakken crude from North Dakota to Anacortes, WA, across Montana’s Hi-Line and through Whitefish, they can do so legally by placing webcams every few miles along the tracks. There’s no way to keep something that big secret, especially when it’s moving through a defined corridor at high noon.

But that hasn’t stopped the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad from trying. Last month, after the federal government ordered railroads to notify states of trains shipping Bakken oil, a measure aiding public safety by providing vital information to the first responders who will have to deal with oil trains that derail and catch fire, the BNSF tried strong-arming states into signing confidentiality agreements to keep the information from being made available to the public.

Some states knuckled under — but not Montana. Governor Steve Bullock says he’ll enforce Montana’s open records laws.

So what’s going on here? National security? Nope. The federal government says that letting Americans know when a train carrying millions of gallons of easily ignited light sweet crude passes through their town poses no threat to national security.

So, then, why are the railroads digging in their heels like stubborn mules? Are they protecting trade secrets? Nope. They’ll say so, of course, and some railroad executives might even believe that. But there’s no trade secret involved in hauling oil in broad daylight in plain sight.

Well, then, what? Four things. Arrogance. Post 9/11 paranoia. A culture of secrecy. And a history of getting their way by streaming through bureaucracies and pliant politicians. “We know what we’re doing. We know what’s best. We’re keeping vital information out of the hands of terrorists. Now, stop asking questions for which you have no right to answers. It’s our railroad and we’ll run it our way. Shut up and remember to stop at crossings.” These are the kind of people who, if put on the witness stand and sworn to tell the truth, would tell the judge to mind his own business.

No one should be surprised. There’s a lot of this kind of history behind the word “railroaded.”

Consider sending Governor Bullock a note applauding his standing by the right of the people to know when a train carrying the energy equivalent of 400 kilotons of TNT passes through their community.