BNSF agrees to $50k settlement over Illinois oil train derailment

The Berkshire Hathaway-owned Class I freight railroad will pay $50,000 in civil penalties related to a March 2015 crude oil train derailment in Galena, Ill., according to a statement from Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.    BNSF Railway has agreed to a $50,000 settlement related to a 2015 train derailment and subsequent oil spill in Galena, Ill., according to a statement from Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.
   In March 2015, a BNSF train with 105 tank cars, 103 of which contained about 30,000 gallons of crude oil, derailed outside the northern Illinois town, releasing their contents and threatening to contaminate ground and surface water in the area.
   Although no injuries were reported, several of the derailed tank cars caught fire and sent dense black smoke into the air for three straight days before burning out, forcing the evacuation of local residents.
   Following the spill, Madigan’s office obtained a court order to require the Berkshire Hathaway-owned Class I freight railroad to clean up the crash site and monitor it for crude oil contamination, to which BNSF agreed.
   Madigan noted that pursuant to the court order, BNSF has already spent more than $10.5 million to clean up the site, including reimbursements to state and local authorities for costs incurred. The railroad has also continued to monitor the site, and there is no evidence of groundwater contamination, she added.
   In addition to funding the cleanup, BNSF spent around $50,000 to repair unrelated storm damage to a nearby bicycle trail at the request of the city of Galena.
   “As the result of our court actions to enforce the state’s environmental laws, BNSF agreed to take immediate steps to clean up the oil and other damage caused by the train derailment and has monitored the site in the aftermath of the incident to assure no ground water contamination occurred,” Madigan said.
   Assistant Attorney General Gerald Karr handled the BNSF case for the office’s Environmental Bureau.