Norfolk Southern Fails to Notify Fire Department of Spill
Approximately 150 gallons of ethanol spilled Tuesday at NSR's facility in the West End.
Photos
Approximately 150 gallons of ethanol spilled at Norfolk Southern Railroad’s transloading facility near Van Dorn Street Metro station at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and the Alexandria Fire Department was not notified.
According to the railroad, the spill occurred when the ethanol was transferred from a railcar to a tanker truck and the tank was overfilled.
NSR’s overfill protection system was activated and the spill was contained by employees. There was no contamination to the surrounding area.
According to a statement from the City of Alexandria, railroad officials notified the National Response Center, which notified Virginia’s Department of Emergency Management, which then notified the Alexandria Fire Department of the spill. Norfolk Southern did not notify the fire department directly.
“The City and the Alexandria Fire Department will aggressively follow up with Norfolk Southern management regarding their failure to immediately notify the Alexandria Fire Department of the spill,” the statement reads.
High-octane ethanol is a volatile, highly flammable liquid that burns cleaner than gasoline. The substance cannot be transported by pipe for fear of it picking up impurities, so NSR moves the liquid by rail to its site just off Eisenhower Avenue and then loads it onto tanker trucks for delivery elsewhere in the region.
In September 2009, NSR failed to notify the city of an ethanol spill at the same facility.
Robin Chapman
9:44 am on Thursday, September 6, 2012
Norfolk Southern did in fact notify the Alexandria Fire Department at about 5:40 p.m. (one hour after the spill occurred) that there had been a spill and that it was under control. Upon their arrival at about 6:30 p.m., city fire marshals confirmed that the situation did not warrant the mobilization of their hazmat team, and they remained on the scene until the company contracted to clean up the spill arrived. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management was notified at 4:40 p.m. All notifications were made in the proper order and at the proper times required for safety and by law, courtesy, and the minor nature of the incident.
The ethanol transfer takes place in a containment area specifically designed to capture and recover spills in spill pans located under the trucks. The facility’s emergency plan for this type of event was activated and worked correctly. The spilled material was fully contained and cleaned up appropriately. There was no emergency that required the presence of the Fire Department. The Fire Department was notified as a matter of courtesy, as set out in the site emergency plan.
Tin Idol
11:28 am on Monday, October 29, 2012
Robin Chapman,
What about these brand-spanking new 150-gallon spill pans?
Joseph M below raises an intersting point... you're reply does seem to be artfully crafted to where "intellectual dishonesty" on the part of Norfolk Southern perhaps needs to be ruled out.
Robin... the following pertains to Norfolk Southern Internal Audit #2009-178
Hello Olmsted Falls, OH Mayor Robert Blomstock,
Officer Mendes and Officer Phillips of the North Ridgeville, OH Police Department both heard a voicemail threat to kick my motherf***ing ass by Norfolk Southern Drug Testing, Cecil Chitwood of Henry County, TN.
Police Patrolman Sears in neighboring Olmsted Township,OH (whom you may know AND DEFINITELY whom someone on your police department knows) called Cecil Chitwood and Cecil admitted to Patrolman Sears that INDEED that was Cecil's voice on the preerved voicemail.
Then Norfolk Southern Drug Testing Agent, Bill Fichtner showed up at my campground and freaked out the residents so much (by slowly driving through the campground drives MULTIPLE TIMES over an extended period) that they went and got the manager.
I was reporting Bill Fichtner's conduct to the FRA and Norfolk Southern Police Department.
Bill Fichtner appeared after an attorney for Norfolk Southern Drug Testing Supervisory Agent, Jeff Copeland called my sister in Avon Lake, OH and brothewr in Naples, FL and told A LIE saying that the Westlake<OH and Canton, OH Police were looking for me
Tin Idol
3:28 pm on Thursday, December 13, 2012
So Robin Chapman....
...you STILL HAVE NOT replied to the question about the 150-gallon spill pans. What year were they invented?
1) Robin Chapman... did the ethanol overflow the spill pans? You only have 50-gallon spill pans, correct?
No150 gallon spill pans...
Robin Chapman... Ingrid Sanden and Dak Hardwick of the Cameron Station Civic Association are going to love this line of questioning. Any of that Ethanol carried in DOT-111 rail cars?
www[DOT]timesunion[DOT}com/business/article/Rail-car-design-flaw-ignored-3861079.php
Hmmmm... the news article says that the risks of DOT-111 rail cars are overstated [by the Barrington, IL Fire Chief, Mayor and National Transportation Safety Board]
Splendid! So then it was okay of Barbara Taylor of the Norfolk Southern Medical Review Office to transmit orders from an NS Corporate Officer to her to ignore JUST WHAT regarding the urine testing of NS Crews hauling UPS Cargo?
Did she report Norfolk Southern to the FRA or did she transmit those orders to Jeff Copeland (the Norfolk Southern Drug Testing Agent Supervisor) who had all the employees under him follow those orders?
Did you call 911 as the City of Alexandria has requested or did you again ignore their wishes?
Tin Idol
2:33 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
So Robin Chapman....
...you STILL HAVE NOT replied to the question about the 150-gallon spill pans. What year were they invented?
1) Robin Chapman... did the ethanol overflow the spill pans? You only have 50-gallon spill pans, correct?
No150 gallon spill pans...
Robin Chapman... Ingrid Sanden and Dak Hardwick of the Cameron Station Civic Association are going to love this line of questioning. Any of that Ethanol carried in DOT-111 rail cars?
www[DOT]timesunion[DOT}com/business/article/Rail-car-design-flaw-ignored-3861079.php
Hmmmm... the news article says that the risks of DOT-111 rail cars are overstated [by the Barrington, IL Fire Chief, Mayor and National Transportation Safety Board]
Splendid! So then it was okay of Barbara Taylor of the Norfolk Southern Medical Review Office to transmit orders from an NS Corporate Officer to her to ignore JUST WHAT regarding the urine testing of NS Crews hauling UPS Cargo?
Did she report Norfolk Southern to the FRA or did she transmit those orders to Jeff Copeland (the Norfolk Southern Drug Testing Agent Supervisor) who had all the employees under him follow those orders?
Did you call 911 as the City of Alexandria has requested or did you again ignore their wishes?
Tin Idol
2:48 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
"cat got your tongue", Robin Chapman?
Not the greatest position to be in for a PUBLIC RELATIONS spokesperson, is it?
This is a PERFECT ENVIRONMENT for me to talk to you.
Drew Hanson HAS TO BE WONDERING just what Norfolk Southern Internal Audit #2009-178 is all about.
Walt Bogadanich won a Pulitzer for the New York Times "Death on the Tracks" series of stories supplied to him by CSX Whistleblower, Dave Nelson ("60 Minutes"... NBC's "Fleecing of America"... Honored Guest of the United States Congress"... $1.19 million whistleblower award)
Pres Enterprise (PE[dot]COM) won a journalism award for their "Toxic Cargo" series which had an interesting sidebar regarding the "waivers" that Norfolk Southern suits took into Graniteville, SC subsequent to the Chlorine Gas deaths...
...you remeber Graniteville, correct?
The accident that Wick Moorman talked to stockholders with the double entendre of "limiting [stockholder's] exposure".
Norfolk Southern's statement regarding those waivers SEEMS TO not be consistent with what the SC Bureau of Worker's Compensation rep says.
Somebody is mistaken OR IN THE ALTERNATIVE somebody is telling a lie OR IN THE ALTERNATIVE these two accounts dovetail in the weirdest of ways.
We can clear that up for Drew Hanson.
Tin Idol
2:59 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
Comeon, Robin Chapman... you replied to amu lu in a comment below... so you're obviously getting e-mail alerts.
I know why you quit replying, Robin Chapman... it's that blasted Joseph M and his big blabbermouth in the comment below when he talked about the 50-gallon spill pans.
Then to make matters worse, Joseph M asked if you called 911 like the City of Alexandria has asked Norfolk Southern VP of Law, William Galanko to do and Galanko refused.
My suggestion:
You have Galanko go to the Alexandria Fire Department, City Council & City Manager and you tell them "a sus ordenes".
That's Spanish, Robin Chapman
Regrettably, I'm not fluent in "Spanish"... Siblings and close family friends maintain that I am only fluent in "Jibberish"
...but someday I'll be fluent in Spanish... so you go tell all those entities that from this moment forward, Norfolk Southern and all their subcontractors are "a sus ordenes"
I swear I got to have a word with that guy
Tin Idol
3:22 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
Robin Chapman... "come out, come out wherever you are."
The PUBLIC SPOKESPERSON who has seemingly "lost his voice"
Robin... the news media reported that North Carolina State Officials & Federal Officials both maintained repeatedly that Wick Moorman and Norfolk Southern were trying to force Eugene Conti of the NC DOT into an "illegal agreement"
Robin... prepare a list of the attorneys names & their law license registration numbers which will identify them before the grievance committees of their respective County Bar Associations... those attorneys are going to lose their law license.
Norfolk Southern VP of Law, John Edwards commented about "diversifying risk" with the illegal agreement... Have John Edwards prepare a statement where he talked about repeated attempt to force the NC DOT into signing an illegal agreement.
All Norfolk Southern attorneys will IMMEDIATELY resign their participation in the various committees & sub-committees of the Virginia Bar Association... that means you, Mr Galanko.
I'm doing you a favor, Mr Galanko... don't surrender your law license(the equivalent of being disbarred) but resign from all these committtees
Tin Idol
3:28 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
Robin Chapman...
Norfolk Southern maintained to the Press Enterprise(PE[dot]COM) reporter(s) that the waivers were coincidentally signed by the Graniteville victims on the same form where they surrendered all subsequent rights to sue in exchange for the "generous amount" of money that Norfolk Southern was offering in compensation.
The South Carolina Bureau of Worker's Compensation rep maintains that the issue went to the courts who ruled against Norfolk Southern (presumably "signed under some financial duress")
With Wick Moorman's comments to company ownership (annual stockholders' meeting) about Norfolk Southern having taken steps to "limit their exposure" which story/account is correct?
Tin Idol
4:03 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
Robin Chapman,
Do you remember the sex scene from the moovie, Deliverance" where Hollywood Actor, Ned Beatty is compelled to "skwealll lika' pig"?
Do you remember Tom Cruise in the movie about the corrupt Memphis, TN Law Practice titled. "The Firm" that takes Mafia Client Money and hide it in offshore accounts in the Caribbean.
The FBI had experienced such a tough time gaining convictions against the corrupt law practice AND TO BE honest, I never trusted Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook and Jerry Hardin...
Do you remember how Tom Cruise brought down the corrupt law practice... 5 years in prison + 250,000 for each violation.
Tom Cruise told the FBI Agent played by Ed Harris ( I never trusted Ed Harris, either) that the method he used was "not glamorous but it had teeth".
The Firm's partners received 5 years in prison for EACH postage stamp they used for overbilling (mail fraud).
In fact, you may not know that one of the corrupt firm's attorneys received 425 years in prison.
Do you know what the courtroom bailiff who led him away to the courtroom's "holding cell" told the corrupt attorney susbequent to being senetenced to 425 years in prison???
The bailiff, in an attempt to comfort the attorney, said, "Don't worry, pal.... you won't have to serve even half of that 425-year sentence!!!
BwaaaHaaaa! ROTFLMAO!! LOL!
Tin Idol
4:30 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
Okay, Robin Chapman...
It was a SIMPLE USE OF A POSTAGE STAMP to further an illegal activity that brought about the demise of a corrupt Memphis, TN law firm... people who thought they had bulletproofed themselves to where the US Department of Justice could not get them.
The RAILROADS too assume that they are bulletproofed against "ordinances" and "court action" by the municipalities due to the CONSTITUTIONAL protection you enjoy by virtue of the "REGULATION of Interstate Commerce" being delegated to the US Congress by the US Constitution.
...and so far... it has worked... the railroads have a 1.000 batting average... 100% success against the municipalities. In fact, the Mayors, Vice Mayors and town councils have talked about the railroads' hubris and deceit.
... but THE POSTAGE STAMP analogy... do you think you have your backsides covered JUST LIKE that corrupt Memphis Law Firm thought they had their backsides covered.
With apologies to Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman, Jerry Hardin and Hal Holbrook -- the POSTAGE STAMP ANALOGY is only correct in that it will bring a COMPLETE COLLAPSE of the corporate structure of Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, CSX Railway and BNSF Railway.
All of you corporate types are going to be replaced by the designates of FBI Special Agent Mike Vahue, CSX Whistleblower Dave Nelson, Richfield, OH Police Sergeant Lou Testa (on detached service) and former Ohio Prosecutor of the Year, Jonathan Rosenbaum.
amy lu
11:08 am on Thursday, September 6, 2012
Robin Chapman's post reads like one from a well-seasoned PR representative. The post is forceful. I can not help but wonder what authority he/she is endowed with and from which agency (5 were mentioned in the article) he/she receives that authority. Please enlighten Patch readers Mr/Ms Chapman.
Robin Chapman
11:52 am on Thursday, September 6, 2012
I write on behalf of Norfolk Southern.
Tin Idol
11:44 am on Monday, October 29, 2012
amy lu wrote:
"Please enlighten Patch readers Mr/Ms Chapman."
Joseph M blew that one for you, ms. lu when he mentioned the overflow of the 50-gallon spill pans in a comment below.
Robin Chapman has no intention of making any further replies BUT AN answer WILL INDEED be dragged out of him by the Alexandria, VA City Council and council member Del Pepper.
What the Alexandria City Council should be MORE INTERESTED IN is Norfolk Southern Spokesman, Rudy Husband's comment on the Herndon, PA "chemical exposure" to a homeless vagrant who was riding the rails.
You see.... Rudy made a strange "single incident within the state" comment that Rudy is going to get skewered for. Also, the supervisor of the Pennsylvania Highway Patrol Stonington Barracks gave a SPECIFIC & DETAILED accounting of what occurred WHICH CONTRADICTS the "fuzzy" account that the Norfolk Southern Police maintained as to who assumed jurisdiction for the investigation of the spill...
Rescue workers also had to be decontaminated
I'm going to expand upon Rudy Husband's comment and you can watch the Norfolk Southern Corporate Leadership "pinch a loaf" right here on the Del Ray, VA Patch
The prior arrest of the vagrant "represented a single incident [of what] within the [State of Pennsylvania and THEREFORE Norfolk Southern was under no "legal" or "moral" obligation to ....]
Uh, oh amy lu..... Rudy and Robin are "pinching a loaf as we speak"
Mark Williams
11:53 am on Thursday, September 6, 2012
I sincerely believe that Robin Chapman should have disclosed his or her status as Norfolk Southern's paid press agent. See: http://www.nscorp.com/nscportal/nscorp/Media/Contacts/brown.html .
The reference to notifying the Fire Department "as a matter of courtesy" is quite offensive. NS is supposed to notify the Fire Department at once. Had Norfolk Southern done so, this matter likely would have been viewed as insignificant. The failure to give immediate notice to the City is what elevates the concern.
Tin Idol
11:57 am on Monday, October 29, 2012
....mmm... hmmmm .... well start reading the replies that I've made to Robin Chapman and watch how they "start digging trenches" and "hunkering down" in an attempt to refuse to answer any further questions.
Joseph M is to blame for Robin Chapman to initially "hunker down" and quit talking when Josph M perhaps CAUGHT NORFOLK SOUTHERN in a lack of complete candor as it pertains to a possible overflow beyond the 50-gallon spill pans.
What Joseph M obviously is CLUELESS about is that we have put a man on the moon and OBVIOUSLY have invented 150-gallon spill pans BECAUSE Robin Chapman would not have mentioned the spill pans in his reply to allow the Del Ray Patch readership to incorrectly conclude that the spill pans caught all the spilled ethanol
I'm thinking some "inventive ingenuity" award should be bestowed upon the Norfolk Southern Research and Development Department for NOT ONLY inventing the 150-gallon spill pan BUT ALSO for CLEVERLY shaping/forming the spill pans in the SHAPE/OUTLINE of the State of Kansas
Lee Hernly
12:34 pm on Thursday, September 6, 2012
Of course Patch takes/only reports the City's side of the issue.... Aren't journalists supposed to be objective? Considering how badly the City screwed up in allowing this facility in the first place, they couldn't be fibbing to make themselves look good now would they?
Mark Williams
12:38 pm on Thursday, September 6, 2012
The City did not allow the facility in, and the City cannot lawfully remove the facility. Federal law expressly pre-empts the City from doing so. A Federal judge already ruled on the matter, consistent with an order of the Federal agency that has jurisdiction. The facility is not subject to the City's control. It is, however, subject to NS's control, and NS has not even tried to be responsible in its communications and preventive practices.
Lee Hernly
12:59 pm on Thursday, September 6, 2012
Apparently Mr. Williams casually forgets the PR nightmare that was and still is the transloading facility. The City did in fact know about the facility as emails prove.
http://statter911.com/2008/10/28/more-on-alexandrias-ethanol-problems-read-city-emails-on-how-the-facility-evolved-and-who-knew-what-and-when/
All I am saying is, instead of reporting one side of the response, why not get a statement from NSR in the article above? Maybe NSR didn't notify the AFD but, what if they did and the City's denying that they did?
Sadly, the Times & Gazette have both fallen down on the job with this story as well.
Tin Idol
12:02 pm on Monday, October 29, 2012
....ohhhhh... my sentiments EXACTLY, Lee Hernley....
...get them(Norfolk Southern) talking and KEEP THEM talking.
Lee....
...Norfolk Southern no longer wants to do any talking...
Norfolk Southern VPs of Law, Galanko, Edwards and Hixon are SOON GOING TO FIND OUT WHY Chapman, Husband & Terpay are going to keep their mouths shut from now on.
Hixon will soon BAN Chapman, Terpay & Husband from uttering one word that has not FIRST BEEN VETTED through the Legal Department at Norfolk Southern
Mark Williams
1:23 pm on Thursday, September 6, 2012
Of course the City knew about the transloading facility, and I am uncertain as to your basis for asserting that I have "casually forgotten" that. The City was legally powerless to stop the transloading facility. The Federal agency and the Federal court ruled the transloading facility to be outside of the City's jurisdiction. Federal law is completely preemptive. Norfolk Southern has already delivered its statement; Robin Chapman is a paid press agent for Norfolk Southern who did not fully identify himself as such until he was confronted.
Tin Idol
12:19 pm on Monday, October 29, 2012
Ahhhhh....and here is where the proverbial "RUBBER meets the ROAD", as it were.
The City failed to survive a "court challenge" when they attempted to REGULATE the flow of TRUCK TRAFFIC to-and-from the terminal because the REGULATION of Interstate Commerce is garanted SOLELY TO the United States Congress by the US Constitution.
Congress has VESTED their constitutionally-recognized powers in this regard to the US Department of Transportation... in this PARTICULAR CASE...it is the US DOT-Federal Railroad Administration
The railroads are AGENTS of the US DOT - FRA.... You need to look up "stewardship" and "agency" in a law dictionary... The Wiki-Law project at Wikipedia does a "decent" to "good" job (but not "perfect") of discussing both "stewardship" or "agency".
Joseph M.
2:48 pm on Thursday, September 6, 2012
Robin Chapman, NS's PR person, wrote above: "The ethanol transfer takes place in a containment area specifically designed to capture and recover spills in spill pans located under the trucks ... The spilled material was fully contained and cleaned up appropriately."
I think that may not be true. According to the 2009 NS--Alexandria correspondence after NS failed to previously inform Alexandria [linked at the bottom of Drew's article], the 2009 spill of 50 gallons overflowed the spill pans. To quote NS: "the majority of these types of releases would not normally be considered "spills" in non-technical discussions, insofar as they would be fully contained within the spill pans that are placed below the transfer points during the transloading processes. (The release that happened on September 29 did overflow the spill pan but was fully contained within the bermed concrete pad and was readily captured and properly disposed of)."
Presumably, the larger spill of 150 gallons that was released on Tuesday also overflowed the spill pan and pooled on the concrete within the bermed area. If true, that was artfully and misleadingly left out by NS's PR response above.
Second point: how did NS notify the fire department? Was it through the non-emergency number, as NS stated it would in the 2009 correspondence, though the city twice requested and was denied to be notified through 911. The timeline seems to indicate a non-urgent response by NS in notification.
Tin Idol
12:27 pm on Monday, October 29, 2012
.... hmmmm... a "conspiracy nut", ehhhh....???
I suppose you'll NEXT BE SAYING that the USA faked the "landing of astronauts on Mars & Jupiter", correct?
Joseph M wrote in part:
Presumably, the larger spill of 150 gallons that was released on Tuesday also overflowed the spill pan and pooled on the concrete within the bermed area. If true, that was artfully and misleadingly left out by NS's PR response above.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You are saying that you TRULY HAVE NOT heard about the invention of the BRAND-SPANKING NEW 150-gallon spill pans CLEVERLY shaped like the shape/outline of the State of Kansas?
Professor Wolfgang Umlaut ("Cheese UND Krackerzz, everybody and to all my friends in Cameron Station!!!") of the Norfolk Southern Research & Development Department is ABOUT TO get an AWARD FOR BRILLIANCE from the Alexandria City Council for INVENTING the 150-gallon spill pan AND FOR...
...constructing that spill pan in the shape/outline of the State of Kansas.
I'm here to CLEAN UP the good name of Robin Chapman and Norfolk Southern!!!!!
BP
3:09 pm on Thursday, September 6, 2012
For years I thought Norfolk Southern could save money by using like a Robin Chapman bobble head dolls saying "sugar wouldn't melt in the railroads mouth" used after their mass trail of death and destruction.
http://www.nrc.uscg.mil/reports/rwservlet?standard_web+inc_seq=1023284
*Report taken at 17:04 on 04-SEP-12
Incident Type: MOBILE
Incident Cause: OPERATOR ERROR
Affected Area:
The incident occurred on 04-SEP-12 at 16:45 local time.
Affected Medium: LAND / CONCRETE
CHRIS Code: NCC Official Material Name: NO CHRIS CODE
Also Known As: ETHANOL
Qty Released: 100 GALLON(S)
Tin Idol
12:35 pm on Monday, October 29, 2012
Yeahhhh....well wait till you see with what I am about to do to Norfolk Southern, their CEO, Wick Moorman and the top two dozen corporate executives.
Remember what happened to Hollwood Actor, Ned Beatty in the "sex scene" from the movie, "Deliverance".
When they realize in horror that they have WRITTEN THEIR OWN "pink slips" and are about to see their careers go down the drain...the're going to all get down on "all fours" start DOING the Internet & regulatory Equivalent of WHAT that Mountain Man forced Ned Beatty to do: to wit,
....."skwealll lika' pigggg"
Phillip Cide
4:39 pm on Thursday, September 6, 2012
The following link is for an excellent report “LARGE VOLUME ETHANOL SPILLS – ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND RESPONSE OPTIONS” prepared for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
http://www.mass.gov/eopss/docs/dfs/emergencyresponse/special-ops/ethanol-spill-impacts-and-response-7-11.pdf
Tin Idol
12:41 pm on Monday, October 29, 2012
....well thank you for pointing out the danger since COUPLED WITH what I am about to show, it provides the PREDICATE for the Alexandria, VA City Council and City/Township Councils along the "CSX-Norfolk" and "Nickel Plate" lines in Northern Ohio to act ADMINISTRATIVELY against Norfolk Southern AS OPPOSED TO attempting to REGULATE their conduct.
An "administrative action" survives a "test" applied by a US District Court Judge AS OPPOSED TO a "regulatory action" which yhas failed each & every time.
This is just like that "postage stamp" mail fraud in the Tom Cruise movie, The Firm"... actually, it is EVEN MORE akin to targeting a "festering sore" on the heel of the Greek Mythological Hero, Achilles AND UTILIZING a completely different "quiver of [administrative] arrows"