(The Associated Press circulated the following article on August 21.)
MINNEAPOLIS — Three dozen North Dakota residents upset about how their derailment claims against Canadian Pacific Railway have been delayed in the courts protested on Monday outside the railroad’s U.S. headquarters.
“We may not get a lot of feedback immediately, but we hope we made an impact,” said Tom Lundeen, the unofficial spokesman for people affected by the January 2002 derailment and chemical spill on the west edge of Minot, N.D.
He said 36 people rode in a charter bus from North Dakota to the protest, which included peaceful picketing.
The derailment early on the morning of Jan. 18, 2002, sent a cloud of toxic anhydrous ammonia over the city, killing one man and sending hundreds of people to the hospital.
The National Transportation Safety Board later ruled that inadequate track maintenance and inspections were to blame, a finding the railroad disputed.
Hundreds of people sued the railroad in courts in North Dakota and Minnesota. While some cases were settled, many others have been stuck in legal limbo while the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals considers various appeals.
Ed Greenberg, a spokesman for the railroad, said that because the matter was still in the courts he had no comment on Monday’s protest.