HomeMy WebLinkAbout1892RESOLUTION NO. / ,~7 £/:2
A RESOLUTION of the City Council of the
City of Kent, Washington, seeking to protect the
health, safety, and economic well-being of our local
citizens and our natural resources from the
potential impact of increased crude oil rail traffic
passing through the City of Kent.
RECITALS
A. The City Council of the City of Kent, Washington is committed
to the protection of its citizens, as well as the natural resources on which
the City depends.
B. The City of Kent is the sixth largest city in the State of
Washington with over 119,000 residents. The City holds the fourth largest
Industrial and Warehouse Distribution Center in the nation and is the
second largest on the west coast.
C. Rail infrastructure in
and in Kent crosses the Green
species.
Western Washington that runs through
River, habitat to ESA listed salmonid
D. The City Council is concerned about the potential impacts on
public safety and economic disruption from a possible derailment and spill
of crude oil as trains run through Kent and the surrounding area.
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E. The City of Kent has eight at-grade crossings on the BNSF
line, most of which are in the downtown urban center. The combined daily
traffic on these eight cross streets is roughly 100,000 vehicles. The City
Council is concerned about the mobility and safety impacts from increases
in rail traffic, which will increase delay to Fire Department and Police
personnel responding to emergency calls, and to medical transport vehicles
moving patients to area hospitals.
F. The Federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration (PHMSA) issued a major safety alert on January 2, 2014,
declaring that oil obtained in the Bakken Shale is more explosive. As
illustrated by the 2013 derailment of an oil-carrying train in Quebec, which
killed 40 people, destroyed thirty buildings, and required evacuation of
1,000 people, and by derailments in North Dakota, New Brunswick, and
Washington, derailments, spills, and fires can have catastrophic impacts on
communities, their residents, and the environment.
G. State of Washington and King County officials are beginning to
review three new oil-terminal projects that could bring millions of gallons of
crude oil per day through the state, the largest of which is proposed to be
at the Port of Vancouver and could handle as much as 380,000 barrels of
crude oil per day.
NOW THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENT,
WASHINGTON, DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
RESOLUTION
SECTION 1. -Environmental Review. The Kent City Council
strongly requests the potential impacts to Kent's public safety, water
resources, environment, economy, and traffic be studied by the agencies
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conducting all environmental reviews, and request that Kent be included in
any environmental impact statements pertaining to any project that may
cause increase in associated oil rail traffic traveling through Kent.
SECTION 2. -Creation of Federal Guidelines. The Kent City Council
supports the creation of clear Federal guidelines for tracking the chemical
composition of transported fuels so that local governments, citizens, and
first responders can better understand and plan for the risks associated
with the specific type of fuel flowing through or to their communities.
SECTION 3. -Federal Safetv Regulations. The Kent City Council
requests that the Federal Government immediately implement safety
regulations regarding older tank cars, train speeds, and other identified
hazards associated with flammable crude oil.
SECTION 4. -State Safetv Regulations. The Kent City Council
urges the Washington State Legislature to adopt legislation promoting rail
safety, especially along transportation routes used in the transport of oil;
and calls for Washington State to coordinate state/governmental agencies
to study rail-related safety preparedness and capacity to respond to an
accident involving railcars transporting oil.
SECTION 5. -Authorization to Implement. The Mayor is authorized
to seek funding to promote rail safety, including railroad grade separations,
and to implement such administrative procedures as may be necessary to
carry out the directives of this legislation, including reviewing and
commenting on the public emergency response and evacuation plans in the
case of a derailment of an oil train.
SECTION 6. -SeverabilitY. If any section, subsection, paragraph,
sentence, clause or phrase of this resolution is declared unconstitutional or
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invalid for any reason, such decision shall not affect the validity of the
remaining portions of this resolution.
SECTION 7. -Ratification. Any act consistent with the authority
and prior to the effective date of this resolution is hereby ratified and
affirmed.
SECTION 8. -Effective Date. This resolution shall take effect
immediately upon its passage.
PASSED at a regular open public meeting by the City Council of the
City of Kent, Washington, this ' 2014.
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CONCURRED in by the Mayor of the City of Kent this / ',--day of
_________ , 2014. //' /) /<)' //
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ATTEST:
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Crude Oil Rail Traffic
Resolution