Given the comparatively small capacity of a rail tank car, around 700 barrels, the total amount
spilled from even a major derailment is likely to be small compared to the 260,000 barrels
discharged in the 1989 grounding of the Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound, AK, or the
approximately 40,000 barrels discharged in the largest U.S. pipeline oil spill CRS can document,
which occurred in 1991 near Grand Rapids, MN.37 Nonetheless, spill volume is arguably a
relatively unimportant factor in terms of impacts and cleanup costs. Location matters more: a
major spill away from shore will likely cost considerably less to abate than a minor spill in a
populated location or sensitive ecosystem. Depending on timing and location, even a small spill
can cause significant harm to individual organisms and entire populations.3