Maine takes railroad to task over cleanup after derailment

The Maine Division of Environmental Safety is taking Canadian Pacific Kansas Metropolis to job over the cleanup following a freight practice derailment and hearth.

Commissioner Melanie Loyzim despatched a letter Thursday telling the railroad that its good religion efforts have failed to fulfill the company’s expectations almost about response and timing “to successfully mitigate impacts to the setting and public well being.”

Two issues are a failure to maneuver a pair of rail automobiles containing hazardous materials farther away from the positioning in a well timed method, and the failure to take away diesel gasoline from the locomotives’ saddle tanks, inflicting a diesel gasoline spill, the company mentioned. An estimated 500 gallons (1,895 liters) of gasoline 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 Metropolis, created by a merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas Metropolis 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 because the fiery Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment exterior East Palestine, Ohio launched chemical substances, that pressured evacuations and creating lingering well being issues.

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