United States Fines BNSF $1.5 Million for Alleged Clean Water Act Violations
BNSF Railway Corporation has agreed to pay $1,513,750 to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), BNSF released approximately 117,500 gallons of heavy crude oil when one of its freight trains derailed outside of Doon, Iowa, in June 2018, resulting in discharges to the Rock River, Little Rock River, and Burr Oak Creek.
“Illegal discharges of oil into streams, rivers and wetlands present a significant threat to human health and the environment,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister. “EPA is committed to protecting our nation’s waterways and will ensure that Clean Water Act protections are upheld.”
EPA says the derailment occurred during heavy flooding in the area. Impacts from the oil spill included an evacuation order for nearby residents, elevated levels of hazardous substances within the affected site, closure of nearby drinking water wells, destruction of crops, and deaths of at least three animals.
BNSF, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, operates one of the largest railroad networks in North America.
Discharges of pollutants, including oil, into federally protected waterways are violations of the Clean Water Act. For more information about EPA’s Clean Water Act enforcement programs, visit: www.epa.gov/enforcement/water-enforcement.
Related News
From Archive
- HDD industry faces challenges as cities push back on fiber drilling disruptions
- 2 workers killed, 1 injured while working on sewer line in Mobile, Ala.
- $5.3 billion, 516-mile pipeline to connect Texas to Arizona through New Mexico
- Tunnel boring continues under Chesapeake Bay for $3.9 billion HRBT Expansion project
- Judge approves construction for key portion of $485 million pipeline in Larimer County, Colo.
- New products: Latest industry developments
- 31 workers rescued after LA tunnel partially collapses
- Ohio Supreme Court rules sewer line location isn’t a ‘defect’ in property dispute
- Faulconer Construction begins rock blasting for water pipeline project in Charlottesville, Va.
- $5.3 billion, 516-mile pipeline to connect Texas to Arizona through New Mexico
Comments