BNSF Railway Fined $86,000 for Dumping Toxic Chemicals in Washington Waters
By David -
The BurlingAton Northern Sante Fe Railway (BNSF)—the
second largest railroad network in North America—was recently fined by
Washington for illegally dumping toxic materials in bodies of water
located in Whatcom and Skagit county water bodies. This recent
misconduct comes as no surprise to Washington officials, who have been
fining BNSF for such illegal practices for years.
The Department of Ecology has fined the BNSF Railway $86,000 for dumping treated railroad materials in local water bodies. While the Department of Ecology says they understand the need for railroad companies to treat their materials with toxic chemicals, as treatment is an important step for repair and maintenance, they expect BNSF to figure out ways to comply with the same rules and regulations that all other railway companies do. The decision to fine the railway came after multiple warnings and technical assistance from Washington, all of which were largely ignored.
The BNSF is currently under fire for four different illegal activities, including leaving debris coated with toxic chemicals near Chuckanut Bay, water systems in Van Zandt and Burlington, and in seasonal waterways that drain into Bellingham Bay.
The BNSF Railway treats their materials with chemicals called creosotes—a toxic brew made up of distilled tar, and either wood or fossil fuels. These chemicals have been used to prevent rot in outdoor wood structures such as ships and bridges for centuries. However, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), exposure to large amounts of creosotes can cause a myriad of health-related issues, from stomach aches, to chemical burns, liver problems, and in rare cases, death.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has also determined that creosotes are most likely carcinogenic..... more here
Class one impacts that impact your health
The project creates 11 class one impacts that could not be mitigated, including five directly related to air pollution: .... more here
Illegal Dumping
The Department of Ecology has fined the BNSF Railway $86,000 for dumping treated railroad materials in local water bodies. While the Department of Ecology says they understand the need for railroad companies to treat their materials with toxic chemicals, as treatment is an important step for repair and maintenance, they expect BNSF to figure out ways to comply with the same rules and regulations that all other railway companies do. The decision to fine the railway came after multiple warnings and technical assistance from Washington, all of which were largely ignored.
The BNSF is currently under fire for four different illegal activities, including leaving debris coated with toxic chemicals near Chuckanut Bay, water systems in Van Zandt and Burlington, and in seasonal waterways that drain into Bellingham Bay.
The Toxic Treatment
The BNSF Railway treats their materials with chemicals called creosotes—a toxic brew made up of distilled tar, and either wood or fossil fuels. These chemicals have been used to prevent rot in outdoor wood structures such as ships and bridges for centuries. However, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), exposure to large amounts of creosotes can cause a myriad of health-related issues, from stomach aches, to chemical burns, liver problems, and in rare cases, death.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has also determined that creosotes are most likely carcinogenic..... more here
Rail spur impacts outweigh any benefits
August 11, 2015 CalCoastNews.com
OPINION By LAURANCE SHINDERMAN and TOM RYAN
.... When the scope of the Phillips 66 Rail Terminal Project was presented in the RDEIR (Re-circulated Draft Environment Report); it was apparent that the project would impact not only the local refinery operations with the construction of an intrusive crude oil rail transfer facility, but every municipality and school district along the UPRR main line that the crude oil trains would pass.
What was called a benign rail spur; was in fact a huge rail yard containing five long railroad tracks fanning out to accommodate and off load 80 tanker/ mile long crude oil trains that would be coming into the refinery five days a week.Class one impacts that impact your health
The project creates 11 class one impacts that could not be mitigated, including five directly related to air pollution: .... more here