A state of emergency was declared in Kanawha and Fayette counties in West Virginia on Monday in response to a train derailment carrying, millions of pounds of crude oil. Out of fear of contamination of the public water supply, the water was shut off for a day while fires continued to burst up from the wreckage. This is the third train derailment in the past year; which isn’t surprising considering how the transportation of crude oil via train has skyrocketed in response to an oil boom in South Dakota and Central Canada. Considering the serious risk factors, including the dangerous situations and possibility of oil leaking into a water supply, the benefits and costs of higher regulatory standards should be calculated.
While the past few years have seen higher regulations on the newly manufactured train cars, it is currently not a required modification for previous models. Not only this, but several of the train accidents this year involved models made after the most recent increase in regulations. Clearly, the U.S. Transportation Department is not taking enough action to prevent these types of dangerous accidents. This is most likely a result of the oil companies lobbying, and wielding influence, out of their rejection of being forced to cough up money to make the move to safer transportation. At this point in time, we should not be oblivious to the tactics big corporations take to save a dime here or there. Over 90% of oil transportation is actually through pipelines, like the proposed and controversial Keystone Pipeline XL. These have dangerous risks as well. Leaks in the pipeline can have serious complications and backlash to those regions. A third method of transportation is relocating the oil by boat. Clearly, one can see what would happen if there were an accident or explosion in this scenario, and how it would also result in environmentally harmful affects.
Essentially, there are three ways to transport oil: by train, through a pipeline, or on a boat. The U.S. recently took the spot of the highest producer of crude oil in the world, with Saudi Arabia and Russia slightly trailing behind. However, there is no safe way to transport this oil, and the more we produce, the more accidents that will happen, unless regulations are created and enforced to effectively prevent these from occurring. Unfortunately, while oil is good for the economy, it is bad for the environment, and everything should be done to best protect our communities and the wellbeing of our planet, while still extracting the financial benefits.