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Department of Ecology News Release - August 15, 2001
01-141
YAKIMA - Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad Co. has been fined $10,000 for a diesel spill that resulted when a train derailed at a Union Gap crossing last January.
About 2,100 gallons of diesel fuel from two locomotives spilled to the ground during the Jan. 5 incident. Some of the fuel reached a nearby underground aquifer. Contractors recovered a majority of the fuel.
In addition to assessing a monetary penalty, the state Department of Ecology (Ecology) issued a "notice of correction" requiring the company to conduct a tabletop exercise using the "Unified Incident Command System" outlined in the Northwest Area Contingency Plan. The unified command model serves as the standard for how agencies respond to and manage hazardous spills throughout the region.
"While the company promptly reported the spill and immediately began cleanup, requests for someone to participate at the command post went unanswered," explained Mark Layman, a spill team leader for Ecology in Yakima. "This hampered efforts by state and local officials to coordinate the overall response because Burlington Northern representatives were not available or involved in the command-level decision-making process."
The company has 15 days to apply for relief from the penalty, or may contest the penalty by filing an appeal with the Pollution Control Hearings Board within 30 days.
Contact: Joye Redfield-Wilder, public information manager, (509) 575-2610, or pager, (509) 574-0490
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
