(Chelsea, MA - May 1, 2014) The
Chelsea Creek Action Group has engaged residents from Chelsea, East
Boston, Revere and other municipalities in a campaign about the danger
of transporting large quantities of ethanol by rail for almost three
years. The Chelsea Creek Action Group applauds Speaker DeLeo and the
co-sponsors of Amendment 392 to the House Budget 4000 for uplifting the
public safety hazards of mile-long ethanol trains traveling through
densely populated areas.
The Chelsea Creek Action Group is proud to
stand with Speaker DeLeo and State Representatives Provost of
Somerville, Vincent of Revere, Ryan of Chelsea, Basile of Boston, Toomey
of Cambridge, Hecht of Watertown, Sannicandro of Ashland, Atkins of
Concord, Keefe of Worcester, Khan of Newton, Rogers of Cambridge,
Livingstone of Boston, Brodeur of Melrose, Matewsky of Everett,
Farley-Bouvier of Pittsfield, Decker of Cambridge, Walsh of Framingham,
Garballey of Arlington and Honan of Boston to urge the Commonwealth’s
agencies to work with federal and local counterparts to develop an
ethanol transport response plan and temporarily prevent ethanol trains
from traveling to the Greater Boston area.
The
Chelsea Creek Action Group (CCAG) is no stranger to getting legislation
passed. With strong support from our elected officials, CCAG was
responsible for getting a law passed in August 2012 that required the
Department of Transportation to commission a study to determine the
impact on the public safety of transporting ethanol by train through
Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Revere, and Somerville.
The study
detailed 31 ethanol train accidents throughout the United States between
2008 and 2012 and concluded that there is an insufficient amount of
alcohol-resistant foam, equipment, and training for adequate response to
an ethanol incident in Greater Boston.
Since
the Department of Transportation’s study on ethanol transport by rail,
there have been 7 additional ethanol rail accidents throughout the
United States in 2013, and an additional 12 rail accidents involving
other hazardous material that required evacuation of surrounding
neighborhoods throughout North America. The risk of a horrific rail
accident, like the derailment that happened in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec
resulting in 47 deaths, is a public safety burden that cannot be
mitigated. The ethanol amendment was passed on April 30, 2014, the same
day that the derailment of a train carrying crude oil in Lynchburg,
Virginia caused extensive flames and generated an evacuation for nearby
residents and workers.
Residents
of Chelsea, East Boston, and Revere have long recognized the need for
agency attention on hazardous material rail transport. CCAG agrees with
National Transportation Safety Board Chairperson Deborah Hersman that
the Obama administration needs to take steps immediately to protect the
public from potentially catastrophic train accidents even if it means
using emergency authority.
CCAG and our allies will continue to work to stop the transport of ethanol by rail in densely populated communities. The Chelsea Creek Action Group urges the Massachusetts Senate to pass a similar bill to the House budget amendment that requires: (1) a lengthy moratorium preventing the Department of Environmental Protection from issuing a chapter 91 license to oil facilities unless they receive ethanol by marine vessel and (2) the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency completion of an ethanol transport response plan. The Senate vote on the budget is expected to happen by the end of May 2014.
