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Counties working on plans for response to
hazardous rail spills |
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January 2, 2015 |
by Michael Meier
Boundary County Idaho Public Information Officer
The three northern Idaho Counties, Boundary,
Bonner and Kootenai, have joined forces by way
of a Federal Grant from the Idaho Department of
Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration (PHMSA) to establish or
update their Geographic Response Plans. The
purpose of the project is to update and develop
Rail and Highway Hazardous Materials Response
plans specific to hazmat spills into water
(rivers, lakes, for example) within each county.
An independent contractor has been hired with
the grant funds to identify sensitive, natural,
cultural and significant economic resources and
describe strategies to minimize injury to those
resources.
Included in the project will be an analysis of
existing gaps in hazardous material responses
across local, state, federal and private
jurisdictions. Each county will establish their
own working group, comprised of local first
responders and environmental subject matter
experts to include local, state, federal and
private partners.
County Emergency Managers are working together
with first responders and the private industry
to make our communities safer and be better
prepared in the event of a hazmat spill.
A string of oil train derailments in North
America over the past 18 months has heightened
community awareness of rail shipments of the
volatile crude from the Bakken oil fields of
Eastern Montana and North Dakota. These trains,
with as many as 102 cars each, are headed for
ports and refineries in Washington and
frequently pass through Boundary, Bonner and
Kootenai Counties.
A recent report states the volume of oil
transported by rail could triple within the next
five years, and our County Emergency Managers
are taking steps to minimize dangers to our
local communities.
Please contact Bob Howard, Bonner County
Emergency Manager for information regarding this
Federal Grant:
/sqmail/src/compose.php?send_to=bhoward@bonnercountyid.gov |
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