Governor Brown Says "Hail Oil Trains" After Fed Report Highlights Company Failure

"Union Pacific's failure to maintain its track and track equipment resulted in the derailment."

That's the Federal Railroad Administration's conclusion on the derailment of 16 cars of a 94-car train outside of Mosier earlier this month.

While there were no injuries, the derailment threw Mosier into chaos for days, forcing people from their homes and others to refrain from showering or even flushing their toilets.

The train had been carrying Bakkan crude oil from New Town, North Dakota. Four of the cars burned for 14 hours, sending smoke into the air that could be seen for miles. Approximately 42,000 gallons of crude oil was spilled in the crash.

The railroad administration determined the derailment "was caused by broken lag bolts leading to wide track gauge."

The broken bolts should have been found by the railroad during an inspection done just before the crash. The company had conducted an inspection four days before the crash.

The report concluded that the broken bolts, "while difficult to detect by high-rail, are more detectable by walking inspection combined with indications of movement in the rail or track structure and/or uneven rail wear, and are critically important to resolve quickly."

The report comes one day after Union Pacific announced it would resume moving oil trains through the Columbia River Gorge despite pleas from local, state and federal officials to wait at least until safety can be enhanced.

Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley seized upon the report to reiterate their call for a moratorium on moving oil trains through the area until more is done to make sure it doesn't happen again.

“The preliminary findings released today by the Federal Railroad Administration confirm the deep concerns we have regarding track safety in the Columbia River Gorge. Union Pacific has not done enough to regain the confidence of Oregonians shaken by the Mosier derailment to restart oil shipments through this area,” the senators said in a joint statement.

“We reiterate our call for federal rail regulators to put in place an emergency order, and to continue examining issues related to lag bolts and track fastening systems that appear to have caused this accident.”

Governor Brown also had strong words Thursday, saying it was time to stop the trains until something is done.

"The Federal Railroad Administration's preliminary Mosier derailment report calls attention to serious safety concerns and the need for improved track inspections.

"I expect the final investigation report to be completed quickly and again call on rail operators to halt oil trains in Oregon until the strongest safety measures are put in place by federal authorities to protect Oregonians."