Governor signs Farrell’s Oil Transportation Safety Act

Gov. Inslee congratulates Rep. Jessyn Farrell, D-46
Photo courtesy Legislative Support Services

Governor Inslee signed the Oil Transportation Safety Act today. The bill, HB 1449, sponsored by Rep. Jessyn Farrell, gives first responders advance notice of oil shipments in order to be prepared in the case of an accident. In order to gain an accurate understanding of oil transportation safety issues, the bill requires public disclosure of the amount and type of oil coming through Washington. The bill also pays for safety and planning measures by extending the barrel tax to oil transported by train; currently only oil arriving via ship is subject to the barrel tax.

“It is our shared responsibility to protect the health and safety of our families, first responders, and natural environment,” said Rep. Farrell, D-Lake Forest Park. “I am glad that legislators from both sides of the aisle stood up and took action to keep our communities safe.”

“While this legislation is a great step towards addressing the dangerous game of transporting oil around our state, this bill does not include important marine safety measures leaving our waterways at risk,” said Farrell. “The Legislature will have to revisit these issues in the future to ensure that our marine safety program remains successful and to continue tackling the rapidly changing face of oil transportation in Washington.”

“This new law establishes Washington as a national leader for protecting communities from the increasing risk of oil-train spills and explosions,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine, who is Chair of the Safe Energy Leadership Alliance that includes more than 160 elected leaders from five western states and British Columbia. “Now we should build on this important first step by expanding these stronger protections to include Puget Sound and other critical waterways.”

The sharp increase in the amount of crude oil coming in to Washington by rail creates significant risks to the region’s people, economy, and environment. The rail lines carrying crude oil across Washington move through densely populated areas in Tacoma, Seattle, Everett, and Spokane, and pass by sensitive environmental areas such as shorelines and estuaries.

In 2011, no crude oil entered Washington by rail; by June 2014, 19 trains carrying crude oil were passing through per week. The Washington Department of Ecology estimates that the amount of crude oil that comes through our state could triple within the next 5 years to nearly 9 billion gallons each year. And by 2035, this figure could increase six-fold – with approximately 113 oil trains running through our state every week.

A study by the U.S. Department of Transportation released in February predicts that oil train derailments will occur 10 times a year over the next two decades, cause more than $4 billion in damages, and put densely populated areas at risk.