The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary report Thursday about the Oct. 15 coal train derailment near Pueblo. According to the report, “The derailment occurred near a track switch east of a railroad bridge that crossed over Interstate 25. A track switch (usually called a switch) allows trains or railcars to be diverted to other tracks.” The report also said that derailed rail cars struck the bridge, with “six dropping to the interstate below and one or more striking” a northbound semi, killing the truck driver. The accident also covered the northbound lane of Interstate 25 with coal.
This was the second coal train in our state whose cars left the tracks in the past two months. On September 6, a Union Pacific train derailed in Bennett but did not spill any coal. These accidents had limited environmental impact because they did not occur near large population centers or waterways. Still, given their frequency, it is only a matter of time before one does.
The new NTSB report does not highlight any specific environmental impacts from the most recent derailment. However, it’s just preliminary and in it, the NTSB says the full version could take up to two years to complete. We’ve learned from high-profile incidents elsewhere, such as the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment in February, that harmful substances transported by train can contaminate the environment after a train accident — or even just during the normal course of travel. Coal trains are known for emitting fine particulate matter when moving or disturbed. Coal contains numerous elements, such as arsenic, that can be highly toxic when exposed to humans. If the coal train near Pueblo had spilled less than a mile from the derailment site, it could have landed in Fountain Creek, which drains into the Arkansas River. This scenario would cause coal pollutants to wash downstream into one of Colorado’s largest watersheds. The downstream effects of a spill like this could be catastrophic for the environment and community health.
Oil companies such as PDC Energy are currently transporting toxic oil across our state. In fact, a proposed oil railway project, the Uinta Basin Railway, would run along 150 miles of the Colorado River. The project was scheduled to have up to five two-mile-long oil trains snaking along the Colorado River daily and projected to have at least one accident per year west of Grand Junction. Wisely, a federal judge has temporarily slowed this project. But proponents of this dangerous project are still attempting to ferry oil from the Uinta Basin into Colorado by train.
These recent derailments clearly show the dangers that long trains carrying toxic substances pose for the environment. Shipping toxic chemicals through our communities and alongside our rivers and streams is a horrible idea destined for disaster. We need to do better.
One piece of the solution is to regulate train lengths. Earlier this month, the Colorado State Transportation Legislative Review Committee agreed to bring a bill to the state legislature that will limit the length of trains to 8,500 feet and increase the frequency of trackside defect detectors. This would reduce stress on rails and therefore reduce the overall risk of derailments for all trains across the state.
The state bill is similar to the federal Railway Safety Act (RSA) proposed following the devastating train derailment in East Palestine. Unfortunately, that bill has stalled in Congress. The RSA would set length limits for trains with hazardous materials, set crew member minimums for trains, and increase railroad-related training for first responders. Passing our statewide bill would ensure protections for the people and environment of Colorado until the federal government passes the RSA.
It is important for our leaders to take action now to reduce the dangers of hazardous train derailments — before another catastrophic accident happens in Colorado. We urge the state legislature to move quickly to address train safety when lawmakers reconvene in January.
Ellen Montgomery is the public lands campaign director for Environment Colorado
Read More: Let’s make Colorado’s railroads safer