News Release 595

DERAILED TANKER CARS HOLD ACID;
ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE PREVENTED

Department of Natural Resources Oversees Cleanup at Train Derailment

Volume 35-595

Contact: Larry Archer

(For immediate release)

573-751-3807

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, DEC. 27, 2007 – A significant environmental accident was avoided Wednesday when four rail tanker cars carrying sulfuric acid derailed in Jefferson County ravine near the Mississippi River, but did not rupture or lose any of their cargo, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The department’s Environmental Emergency Response section was contacted Wednesday night by emergency dispatchers in Jefferson County concerning the derailment of four Union Pacific tanker cars near Pevely. The cars rolled into a ravine, prompting initial concerns of a leak into a local waterway that drains into the Mississippi River.

The department dispatched a state on-scene coordinator from the department’s emergency response office in Eureka to the site of the accident. Union Pacific officials and contractors worked throughout the night to upright the cars and begin removing them from the ravine.

Three fire units, Jefferson County Haz Mat Team, local police and the Missouri Highway Patrol were the initial responders on the scene.

This is the third train accident that department responders have worked during the past 30 days. A truck struck a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train at an Atchison County crossing Dec. 20, resulting in the release of an estimated 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Another Burlington Northern Santa Fe train collided with a tractor-trailer on Nov. 28 in Lincoln County, causing the train to derail and the truck to lose diesel fuel from its fuel tanks.

The Environmental Emergency Response section is called to the scene of more than 300 emergencies each year, including fires, traffic accidents, leaking storage tanks and other incidents that could have a negative environmental impact. The department’s 24-hour spill line receives more than 1,600 incident reports annually.

To report an environmental emergency, including fuel spills, please contact spill line at
573-634-2436. For more information contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources at
800-361-4827 or 573-751-3443, or visit the department's Web page at www.dnr.mo.gov.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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