OUR VISION
Our goal is to keep trains on the tracks and oil in their tanks.
An oil train faces many potential obstacles on the track that can cause derailments including avalanches, bad track conditions, and animals crossing the tracks. A comprehensive, publicly-developed prevention plan is the best way to keep the Flathead Watershed pristine.
If an oil spill occurred anywhere in the Flathead watershed, that oil would travel down through the river system, becoming entrained into the groundwater system where people get their water and would settle in the sediment at the base of Flathead Lake.
There are many things that can be done by the railroad companies and the people living in the vicinity to educate themselves and understand the nature of the threat and how to prevent the types of accidents that occur that cause the derailments.
We believe oil train companies can help prevent future disasters and keep our watershed safe.
Here’s how:
A publicly available oil spill response plan.
Community groups have questioned how realistic it is to effectively respond to an oil train spill in the Middle Fork across all the seasons and extreme weather conditions, considering oil train spill response teams may be hours or more to reach the area.
Many railroad companies have not publicly shared comprehensive derailment and spill prevention plans. The public has never had a chance to comment on or be a part of this process. Trains hauling toxic crude oil are traveling through the Middle Fork Flathead River Corridor daily. We believe the public deserves to know the plan for prevention.
We support the creation of a strong and transparent oil train derailment prevention and response plan for Montana rail corridors to protect waters, natural heritage and communities from oil train derailments through the Middle Fork Flathead River corridor.
More avalanche sheds.
Implementing stringent safety measures is the most effective way to keep rail supply chains moving and our communities safe. Winter months bring an increased risk of avalanches along the steep and winding river corridors on train routes. Investing in additional avalanche sheds in high-risk areas is another measure necessary to improve rail safety.
More frequent and thorough rail inspections.
The tracks these trains travel along must be in pristine condition to reduce the likelihood of an oil train derailment. Frequent and thorough rail inspections are one of the easiest ways to prevent a catastrophic rail event. According to the Federal Railroad Administration Office of Safety Analysis, track defects are the second leading cause of railway accidents in the U.S.
“Containment in the river is not the solution, containment in the cars is a solution.”
— Darwin Stoneman, owner of Glacier Raft Company