Brian Willis, Brian.Willis@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Surface Transportation Board announced today that it will start a review to determine if the Clean Water Act still applies to rail cars that transport coal and other polluting products near and over America’s waterways.
Removing the Clean Water Act protections from rail transit would pose a serious danger to local communities and their water supplies along the thousands of miles of railroads across the United States. Even during normal operations -- when rail cars aren’t crashing or spilling -- a BNSF Railway Company study found "500 lbs to a ton of coal can escape from a single loaded coal car."
In response, Mary Anne Hitt, Senior Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, released the following statement:
“I’ve seen the images of parents cleaning toxic coal dust off of their homes and neighborhood playgrounds. I’ve seen dust from coal trains fly from open rail cars into waterways. Hundreds of these railcars travel through many communities on a daily basis - including mine - exposing families to dangerous air and water pollution. It’s critical that rail cars follow standards created to protect the communities and the waterways along these rail lines. The Sierra Club will be watching the Board very carefully as the review gets underway.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.