(CBC News circulated the following on August 21.)
PRINCE GEORGE — The B.C. government has ordered CN Rail to submit a cleanup plan for the site of an Aug. 4 train derailment and fire near Prince George by Friday.
The Ministry of Environment said on Tuesday CN dumped fill on top of soil where gasoline had spilled, after two trains collided on the banks of the Fraser River.
“So we had some concerns that rather than define what the plume was and clean it up totally that it had been covered over,” Sean Sharpe, manager of the Omineca-Peace Region, told CBC News. “That’s why we issued the [Pollution Prevention] Order, because we had some concerns that things weren’t happening as quickly or as thoroughly as we think they need to be done.”
CN and government officials initially said no fuel entered the Fraser River but the government now says hydrocarbons are seeping into the water and CN has until Friday to submit its cleanup plans or face legal action.
Health officials had issued a voluntary evacuation order for people living near the accident scene. Several freight cars burned and spewed smoke. No one was hurt.
CN is already facing five charges from the province, related to a 2005 derailment near Squamish that spilled a toxic chemical into the Cheakamus River, killing hundreds of thousands of fish.