Vulnerable Middle Fork

Many individuals and organizations have written about the vulnerability of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River to a catastrophic oil train spill.

There are great ideas of how to avoid a spill already out there and I trust that BNSF will take these suggestions seriously. I think the Montana Public Service Commission should take a more active hand in train safety. I also think that a spill response protocol supplied by BNSF should already be available to the PSC and concerned citizens for review.

I am surprised that BNSF has not conducted a dye test on the Middle Fork to see how oil or other chemicals would act if released into the river. This information would seem essential to BNSF in their planning for a disaster response. Millions of gallons of crude oil travel along our wild and scenic Middle Fork every day and BNSF should pay for a dye study and implement it this summer along with a spill protocol before this winter.

You heard me right. As BNSF is the one profiting from movement of the oil they should pay for these studies and plans and not the citizens of Montana.

Do not wait until you have fouled the river to decide how the situation should have been dealt with.

I encourage all concerned people to take a few minutes out of their busy lives and express the urgency you feel about this situation to BNSF. You can write them at BNSF Railway Corporate, 2650 Lou Menk Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76131-2830.

— Edwin Fields, Whitefish