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TOWN OF AMSTERDAM — Local officials are urging federal agencies to review safety regulations and the transportation of hazardous materials by rail following last week’s derailment of a CSX freight train running between Route 5 and the Mohawk River.
“If the trains were fully loaded, we would have had an environmental crisis and a real risk to our communities and the river,” said Dan Shapley, senior director of advocacy, policy and planning at environmental non-profit Riverkeeper, on Wednesday.
At least 13 cars left the tracks out of 157 that made up the westbound train when the derailment occurred in the town of Amsterdam around 7:53 a.m. on Friday. There were no injuries or danger to the public from the incident.
Among the derailed cars were an empty tank car containing xylene residue, and seven empty tank cars containing propane residue. Several box cars carrying scrap metal and sand overturned and dumped their contents onto the tracks.
The Montgomery County Hazmat team confirmed there were no chemicals spilled or present at the site. The state Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed there were no spills or evidence of environmental impacts from the derailment through a site investigation and cleanup monitoring.
CSX crews worked throughout the weekend to clear the derailed train cars, clean up materials from the site and restore the tracks. The tracks and neighboring Route 5 fully reopened by Monday afternoon.
“Any derailment poses a threat,” said Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, D-Rotterdam. “This could have been much, much worse.”
In a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Santabarbara has urged the agency to promptly evaluate the safety of all federally regulated rail lines nationwide and to invest in the modernization of rail infrastructure across the nation to improve safety and prevent accidents.
Since the rails cross state lines, Santabarbara said the federal government has the responsibility to identify and address any potential issues related to the local incident and the “escalation” of train derailments across the country. He pointed out the February derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio has had lasting environmental effects.
“Any derailment can have a devastating impact on these communities,” Santabarbara said. “The dangers are very real and the fact that we’ve seen this happen nationally more frequently should be on everyone’s mind.”
At the same time, Shapley said Riverkeeper is continuing to advocate for various federal rail safety improvements to prevent derailments and protect against the potential environmental disasters when hazardous substances commonly carried by freight trains are involved.
“Our focus when it comes to rail is to see our railways made safer and to make sure we are taking those actions to improve regulations,” Shapley said.
While the cause of the local derailment has yet to be determined, Riverkeeper is pushing for improvements to braking systems and regulations related to decelerating and stopping trains. Shapley noted braking systems have been cited as contributing factors in some past incidents.
At the state level, Shapley said the non-profit is interested in pursuing laws affecting the liability of railroad companies transporting materials within New York. The heightened responsibility could contribute to safety enhancements.
Moreover, Shapley said the “near miss” should serve as a reminder of the need to be prepared for the possible spill of oil or other hazardous materials from trains into the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers with tracks hugging their banks for hundreds of miles.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for spill prevention and responses related to the Mohawk River. Riverkeeper has urged the federal agency for several years to conduct a spill response drill with local and state agencies to test capabilities.
Shapley was clear that the local response to the derailment in the town of Amsterdam involving emergency crews and law enforcement from across the region was “worthy of praise.”
A response drill would be an opportunity to identify the available resources, review deployment protocols and practice coordination between various agencies at the local, state and federal level. The drill could be used to assess readiness and identify any gaps ahead of an actual emergency.
“If you think about a fast flowing river, any spill is going to move quickly, so minutes count,” Shapley said.
The Region II Regional Response co-chaired by the EPA and U.S. Coast Guard covering New York and New Jersey has been evaluating “suitable” opportunities and venues to conduct spill exercises with other agencies over the last month, according to EPA spokesperson. No details were provided related to definite plans or areas being considered for involvement in such drills.
Any spills of chemicals or oil from train cars into the Mohawk River could have significant impacts on the environment and wildlife. It could also impact drinking water from wells along the river influenced by the water body and in some communities sourcing drawing water from it directly.
Glenville, Scotia, Schenectady, Niskayuna, Rotterdam and Clifton Park all feature wells near the Mohawk River. Colonie and Cohoes have drinking water intakes drawing water directly from the river, in addition to nearby wells. Green Island also relies on backup water supplied by Cohoes.
Over 280,000 residents combined from those communities are served by drinking water sources that could be impacted by a spill in the Mohawk River, according to statistics provided by Riverkeeper.
“It’s hard to overstate how severe a problem it would cause,” Shapley said. “We need to act on that to plan and protect ourselves before another derailment happens.”
Requests for comment were not immediately returned by the U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday.
Reach Ashley Onyon at [email protected] or @AshleyOnyon on Twitter.
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