Although I was unable to participate in The Dalles City Council’s decision of Jan. 26 calling for increased safety oversight of oil trains, I wish the record to note my support for this resolution.
The Chronicle chastises the council, suggesting a hidden agenda to “shut down” fossil fuel production.
City councilors took public testimony Nov. 24. At that meeting, I asked Chief Robert Palmer of Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue whether our community is prepared for an oil train derailment.
I did not ask his opinion of fossil fuel production or global warming; I asked him about community readiness.
Chief Palmer replied that, in his opinion, this community is not prepared for such an event.
That’s a public safety issue, pure and simple. Yes, other chemical safety issues exist, but they don’t come in the form of miles-long, single-cargo shipments multiple times a day. Risk increases with frequency.
And, yes, public safety is one of many issues pertaining to oil and coal shipments, but these involve environmental and economic policies well beyond the purview of The Dalles City Council.
Here, we need only concern ourselves with one question: is our community adequately prepared to handle the consequences of an oil train derailment? No, it is not.
That is my concern as a city councilor, and it should be the Chronicle’s concern as well.
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