Maine takes railroad to task over cleanup after derailment

SANDWICH ACADEMY GRANT TOWNSHIP, Maine –

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is taking Canadian Pacific Kansas City to job over the cleanup following a freight practice derailment and fireplace.

Commissioner Melanie Loyzim despatched a letter Thursday telling the railroad that its good religion efforts have failed to satisfy the company’s expectations on the subject of response and timing “to effectively mitigate impacts to the environment and public health.”

Two considerations are a failure to maneuver a pair of rail automobiles containing hazardous materials farther away from the location in a well timed method, and the failure to take away diesel gas from the locomotives’ saddle tanks, inflicting a diesel gas spill, the company mentioned. An estimated 500 gallons (1,895 litres) of gas spilled.

Three locomotive engines and 6 practice automobiles carrying lumber and electrical wiring went off the tracks Saturday in Somerset County, sending three folks to the hospital.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City, created by a merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern that was accomplished the day earlier than the derailment, is main cleanup, salvage and restore.

Derailments and railroad security have been a rising concern nationwide for the reason that fiery Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment exterior East Palestine, Ohio launched chemical substances, that pressured evacuations and creating lingering well being considerations.

The Maine derailment occurred close to Rockwood, a city of about 300 folks on Moosehead Lake, about 90 miles (140 kilometres) northwest of Bangor.