Province serves CN Rail with Pollution prevention orders

While Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon may think that matters concerning CN Rail are a federal thing, his compatriots in the Ministry of Environment apparently see things a little differently.

The Ministry has issued pollution prevention orders on CN in response to the August 4th derailment in Prince George.

Opinion 250 had the details posted on their website on Saturday.

CN Served with Pollution Prevention Order Following August 4th Crash and Derailment
Opinion 250
Saturday, August 18, 2007

CN Rail has been served a set of orders from the Provincial Ministry of the environment in the wake of the August 4th train crash and derailment in Prince George.

CN has been served with a Pollution Prevention Order and is related to environmental impacts resulting from the crash.

The order requires CN Rail to:

Immediately inspect the site and take action necessary to contain and collect hydrocarbons that are now believed to be entering the Fraser River and to record those observations for review by the ministry's Environmental Protection Division.

Monitor the site daily to ensure containment and collection systems are functioning as designed and record those observations for the review of the Environmental Protection Division.

Retain a qualified professional to assess the extent of contamination at the site and develop a clean-up plan that will prevent further release of contaminants into the Fraser River.

The clean-up plan shall include a schedule for clean-up activities and monitoring for the approval of the director, Environmental Protection Division. The plan shall be submitted to the Ministry of Environment by Aug. 24, 2007.

Provide the results of any sampling or investigations within 24 hours of receipt of results.
The order also states that failure to comply with the requirements of this order is a contravention of the Environmental Management Act and may result in legal action.

On Saturday, Aug. 4, two CN trains collided near the train yards in Prince George, resulting in the derailment of one engine and three railcars, which caught fire and leaked burning diesel and gasoline down the river bank on the Fraser River.

Ministry of Environment staff, Environment Canada and the Transportation Safety Board all attended the original incident. All three agencies continue to investigate the incident.