The view from the BNSF Railway rail yard in Spokane.
Courtney Flatt
If train shipments of coal and oil keep increasing, rail and traffic congestion could follow in many communities across the country.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office, prepared for Montana Senator John Walsh, recommends Congress and the federal Department of Transportation work to improve the nation's strategy for freight movement to make sure local traffic -- and in a ripple effect the local economies -- don't get jammed up waiting for more trains to pass through.
“While increased freight activity is closely associated with economic growth, this activity comes with a cost,” the report states.
The study singles out the northwest, now home to several existing and proposed fossil fuel terminals. The issue of rail congestion has been studied here before:
In July, the Puget Sound Regional Council released a report saying proposed coal exports in northwest Washington but could be detrimental to the sound's economy.
The Western Organization of Resource Councils, spanning from Oregon to the Dakotas, has also examined the impact of coal and oil on rail traffic.
In 2013, an EarthFix investigation found railroad improvements are needed to handle the projected increase in coal traffic.
Using 2012 data, the GAO found overall rail traffic through the Northwest hadn’t yet increased despite rising crude shipments. However, the report states, “it is possible that these states will experience increased train traffic due to trends in these commodities in coming years.”
One economic drawback for the Northwest, the report points out, is the commodities are just passing through: “according to some state and local officials we spoke with, when an energy commodity passes through a state on a rail car, the state gets no direct economic benefit from that commodity but may be incurring congestion-related and other impacts at highway-rail grade crossings.”
-- Tony Schick