Oil Trains: One Federal Inspector Oversees All Calif's Railroad Bridges

"As concerns grow over aging rail infrastructure, earthquake readiness and a dramatic increase in crude oil shipments by train, state railroad regulators are scrambling to hire their first-ever railroad bridge inspectors -- two of them.

Once they are hired, the California Public Utilities Commission plans to create a state railroad bridge inventory to determine which are most at risk. That's right -- neither the state nor federal government has a list of railroad bridges for California or the rest of the country. Until that happens, the safety of California's thousands of railroad bridges -- key conduits that carry people and hazardous materials over environmentally sensitive ecosystems and near urban areas -- is left up to rail line owners and a single federal inspector who splits his time among 11 states.

'Two more inspectors is better than none, but it's really a Band-Aid,' said Suma Peesapati, attorney with Earthjustice, an environmental group fighting the oil rail influx. 'I think there should be no crude by rail over those bridges until there's a comprehensive look at all of them.'

No California rail bridges have failed in recent memory, but the 6.0 earthquake that rattled the Napa area on Aug. 24 provided a reminder that California must monitor its aging rail infrastructure."

Matthias Gafni reports for the Contra Costa Times September 12, 2014.