Local officials have no say on what trains carry through states, CBS investigation finds
MINNEAPOLIS -- An early morning train derailment has caused residents of a small town in Kandiyohi County to evacuate on Thursday. In a statement, BNSF Railway said approximately 22 cars derailed around 1 a.m.
Part of the town near the crash site was evacuated to a school in nearby Prinsburg. The Red Cross also responded to support evacuees and emergency responders.
BNSF said there were no injuries reported.
Following the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine earlier this year, in which train cars exploded into a fireball and a significant amount of toxic chemicals were released, CBS Pittsburgh conducted a study about just how much say state officials have over what trains carry through their territory.
The answer: Not much at all.
Using a guidebook the U.S. Department of Transportation supplies first responders, KDKA-TV spent days reading the placards on passing trains, identifying each chemical and fuel being transported. In addition to the toxic chemical toluene, KDKA-TV found a train in the Strip District carrying butane -- which if ignited would require an evacuation in a half-mile each direction.
But because of interstate commerce law, state and local emergency managers ultimately have no say over what comes through their town. Reporters in Pittsburgh found they don't even get advance warning of even the most dangerous payloads and can only prepare for the worst.
"That scares the crap out of you, especially in my position," Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tom Bell said. "I'm responsible for how the public safety here in the city of Greensburg, 15,000 people. I got to be on my game and I have to make sure my team's on their game."
There is some help to the local municipalities. The federal government now pays for local hazmat teams to train on mock derailment fires in Pueblo, Colorado. There are also new requirements for collision-resistant tanker cars and new speed limits through urban areas.
But again, local emergency managers say they have no control over what goes through their communities, and they say it's not a question of if but when.
