Trains carrying loads of explosive frakked crude oil are traveling right through the center of small Eastern Oregon’s towns like La Grande. Few communities are prepared in the event of a fiery derailment or spill that could impact a “blast zone” of up to a mile from the rail line.
That was the message Oregon Rural Action members delivered in a presentation and film screening to nearly 50 area residents on Monday, Nov. 2nd in La Grande.
Trains loaded with volatile crude oil from the Midwest regularly pass through the heart of La Grande while en route to ports. A derailment or accident involving one of these trains could trigger a fire and explosions that would endanger everyone within a mile radius of the accident, also known as the blast zone, according to Norm Cimon a board member with Oregon Rural Action.
“If you see where an oil train has exploded, you can see the effects a mile away,” the La Grande resident said.
Cimon was among the presenters at an “Oil Transport Safety in La Grande” program put on Monday by Oregon Rural Action. The aim of the program is to heighten awareness of the danger oil trains pose to the community and spur people to work together to address the issue.
Read more about ORA’s event and oil by rail in the La Grande Observer: A Dangerous Threat?
ORA members have been canvassing neighborhoods in La Grande, talking to neighbors about oil transportation safety. Members have knocked on over 500 doors and recruited new members. They aim to develop a campaign to increase community emergency readiness.
Read more oil and gas stories here.
To join ORA’s oil by rail community organizing, visit their website or contact ORA organizer Austin Saunders at austin (at) oregonrural.org.
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