CSX paying $2.2M in 2015 derailment

Written by Railway Age Staff
CSX derailment train

Photo: US Coast Guard/CPO Angie Vallier

CSX agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle environmental violations in a crude oil spill following a fiery derailment in 2015.

The U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and State of West Virginia on July 24 announced the settlement with CSX to resolve its liability for state and federal water pollution violations in the derailment at Mount Carbon, W. Va.

The train, with 109 railcars carrying crude oil, derailed Feb. 16, 2015 in Mount Carbon. Twenty-seven tank cars, each containing approximately 29,000 gallons of Bakken crude oil, derailed, and about half of the cars ignited. The resulting explosions and fires destroyed an adjacent home and garage, and oil flowed into the Kanawha River and Armstrong Creek. Local officials declared a state of emergency, nearby water intakes were shut down, and residents in the area were evacuated.

Under the terms of the settlement, CSX will pay $1.2 million to the federal government and $1 million to West Virginia.

An investigation found a split rail to be the cause of the incident.

The agencies said that in response to federal and state orders, Jacksonville-based CSX has taken steps to remedy the damage and disruption caused by the oil spill. Separately, under a state-negotiated provision, CSX will help improve surface water quality in the area impacted by the oil spill through a contribution of $500,000 to a state-administered fund to upgrade a water treatment facility in Fayette County, W. Va.

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