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19 BNSF rail cars derail east of Bonners Ferry |
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May 23, 2014 |
Nineteen BNSF Railway cars derailed from their
tracks near Crossport, just east of Bonners
Ferry at 1:55 a.m. on Thursday, May 22.
The derailed cars were carrying bentonite, an
absorbent clay. Industrial uses of bentonite
include use as a drilling fluid to cool cutting
tools, as a binder in some foundries, as a
groundwater barrier, and for several other uses
in industrial and processing applications.
According to Gus Melonas, Director of Public
Affairs for the U.S. Northwest region and
Canada, the cause of the derailment remains
under investigation, and no official statement
on the cause is currently available.
Mr. Melonas stated that a remediation team is
working to clean up the spilled bentonite cargo.
Crews from various areas, including Whitefish,
Montana, Pasco, Washington, and also local crews
from Bonners Ferry and other areas, worked
through the night and into the day today to pull
cars to clear the tracks. Mr. Melonas stated
that the tracks have now reopened, allowing the
multiple trains that had been held up to
continue through the area.
The damaged cars from the derailment will be
scrapped from the site by BNSF Railway. They
will be hauled away over the next four weeks. |
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