Union Pacific Halts Oil Trains Through the Gorge

Just a few minutes after Governor Kate Brown, Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici called for a temporary halt on oil trains traveling through the Columbia River Gorge, Union Pacific announced they would do just that.

"A train full of toxic crude oil derailing, burning, and exploding near homes, schools, and businesses is a worst fear realized for people who live in Mosier and in other communities along the tracks throughout the Gorge," the elected officials said in a release.

Their plea came just about three days after 16-cars of a 96-car train carrying Bakken crude oil from New Town, North Dakota to Tacoma, Washington derailed just outside of Mosier.

Four of the cars burned, sending smoke into the air that could be seen for miles.

The crash sent the town into chaos, forcing 100 people to be evacuated from their homes while those who remained had to spend two days without being able to shower and flush their toilets.

A boil water order is still in effect. Bottled water is available to anyone who needs it at the Union Pacific Claims Center across from the Mosier Market.

And while residents were allowed back to their homes, a level 2 evacuation order remains in effect, meaning people must be prepared to leave on a moment's notice.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimated Monday that 42,000 gallons of crude escaped from the four cars.

Of that, 10,000 was recovered from the wastewater season and the remaining 32,000 gallons either burned off, vaporized, absorbed by soil, captured by booms in the Columbia, or remains in the wastewater system.

The oil from the remaining 13 cars that derailed will be transported to The Dalles and then brought to Tacoma, their original destination.

On Sunday, the town's city council voted unanimously to ask Union Pacific to halt trains until the cause of the derailment had been determined and the crash cleaned up.

"They deserve to know that the causes of this derailment have been both identified and fixed, and there should be a moratorium on oil train traffic until they get those explanations and assurances," the officials said in their release.

Union Pacific had initially rejected the moratorium. moving some trains through the area on Sunday.

Photo Courtesy Columbia Riverkeeper