Train company to clean ethanol spill
In the US a lawsuit to clean up 75,000 gallons of ethanol that leaked following a train derailment in Rockford, Illinois, on 19 June has found a railway company responsible.
Canadian National Railway and its subsidiary Chicago, Central & Pacific Railroad, will be required by Illinois to perform the environmental cleanup of ethanol in surrounding soil and nearby waterways.
According to the filing, the suit was filed to protect the affected area and nearby residents from damage caused by the intense fire and ethanol release into private water wells and community water supplies.
‘Since the derailment, we’ve been working closely with state and federal agencies and have been, and remain, committed to an environmentally-sensitive cleanup, Patrick Waldron, a Canada National Railway spokesman, says.
The cause of the derailment remains under investigation, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Although aquaplaning is suspected
as the cause, the investigation is not expected to be completed until next year.
The court order requires Chicago, Central & Pacific to immediately begin remediation at the derailment site and to continue to do so until the Illinois EPA determines there is no longer a threat to public health or the environment.
The rail company must also submit soil and groundwater contamination sampling results to the state EPA office by 10 August as well as conduct a thorough survey of private and community water wells to determine levels of contamination.
If samples show unacceptable levels of contamination, the rail company is required to supply affected citizens and businesses with bottled water as a replacement.
A status hearing on the case has been scheduled for 10 September.
Canadian National Railway and its subsidiary Chicago, Central & Pacific Railroad, will be required by Illinois to perform the environmental cleanup of ethanol in surrounding soil and nearby waterways.
According to the filing, the suit was filed to protect the affected area and nearby residents from damage caused by the intense fire and ethanol release into private water wells and community water supplies.
‘Since the derailment, we’ve been working closely with state and federal agencies and have been, and remain, committed to an environmentally-sensitive cleanup, Patrick Waldron, a Canada National Railway spokesman, says.
The cause of the derailment remains under investigation, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Although aquaplaning is suspected
as the cause, the investigation is not expected to be completed until next year.
The court order requires Chicago, Central & Pacific to immediately begin remediation at the derailment site and to continue to do so until the Illinois EPA determines there is no longer a threat to public health or the environment.
The rail company must also submit soil and groundwater contamination sampling results to the state EPA office by 10 August as well as conduct a thorough survey of private and community water wells to determine levels of contamination.
If samples show unacceptable levels of contamination, the rail company is required to supply affected citizens and businesses with bottled water as a replacement.
A status hearing on the case has been scheduled for 10 September.
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