More Calls For Rail Oversight As Oil Tanker Car Derails In South Jersey

Katie Colaneri

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Katie Colaneri is a reporter for StateImpact Pennsylvania and WHYY in Philadelphia covering energy and the environment. Before joining StateImpact, Katie worked as an investigative and enterprise reporter at WBGO in Newark, New Jersey. She covered some of New Jersey's biggest stories including the devastation and aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, as well as the day-to-day triumphs and struggles to revitalize state's largest city. A native of New Jersey with roots in South Central Pennsylvania, Katie holds a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College.

September 17, 2013 | 10:40 AM

A single tanker car on an oil train bound for a refinery ran off the tracks in a South Jersey town Monday morning, prompting calls from local lawmakers for more regulations for rail lines.
The tanker car was unloaded and there was no spillage, officials said, but the South Jersey Times reports the incident was unsettling to local residents and lawmakers as it occurred less than one mile from the site of a major derailment and chemical spill in Paulsboro, New Jersey last year.
More from the South Jersey Times:

“It’s totally different this time, but I will worry because of the first time,” said Lonce Braxton, a Jefferson Street resident. “The town was not prepared for that at all. So now, will we be prepared the next time?
By Monday afternoon, crews were awaiting a crane to lift the derailed car back onto the tracks, but local legislators were already discussing changes that need to be made to prevent this from happening more often.
“I think the whole problem is we have an aging set of railroad tracks there that Conrail needs to do something about as quickly as possible,” Shivery said. “It concerns me because tracks run right through the middle of Gibbstown … It’s on your mind 24/7 when you’re living in a town with a railroad.”

Federal regulators are also calling for more oversight following the derailment and explosion of a runaway train in Lac-Megantic, Quebec that left 47 people dead. The Federal Rail Administration announced last month it is stepping up spot inspections of suppliers and transporters as more domestically-produced crude oil is being shipped by rail.