Healthwatch is off today. Instead we'll hear a special program on the oil train derailment in the Columbia Gorge.
First we hear from Nick Caleb of 350.org.
In 2008, the town of Mosier found an oil spill near the site of the recent crude oil train derailment
On Friday, June 3, a train carrying Bakken crude oil derailed in the small town of Mosier, Oregon along the Columbia River Gorge. Multiple rail cars caught fire within a few yards of the town’s sewage plant, melting part of the sewage system and leaving residents with a warning to boil water and a ban on indoor waste water, which means for residents no toilet flushing or running water down the drain.
This isn’t the first time the town of Mosier has had to deal with crude oil spills interfering with their sewage plant. When the town expanded the plant back in 2008 a large oil spill was discovered at the site. Since Mosier could not prove who was responsible for the spill, the small town with a population of 400 was forced to take on the cost of the cleanup.
KBOO reporter Jenna Yokoyama spoke with Arlene Burns, the mayor of Mosier.