Eleven regional Haz-mat teams are doing drills with railroad response crews this afternoon at Camp Ripley to hone how they handle potential chemical leaks from rail cars. Deputy state Emergency Management Director Kevin Reed says the goal is to make sure they’re ready for anything, “and to work with the rail responders as well… and then how can we dovetail in with what their response is, and the local responders, to make it a unified response.”
Oil spills in North Dakota and Canada focused Minnesota lawmakers’ attention on the issue and the legislature approved additional training and other measures. Sparking additional controversy have been several planned expansions of oil pipelines.