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Residents Unhappy With Oil Spill Response Block CN Rail Crossing in Alberta

Posted on: Friday, 5 August 2005, 18:00 CDT

WABAMUN, Alta. (CP) - Dozens of protesters blocked a Canadian National railway crossing Friday to express their anger at what they called the company's poor response to a freight train derailment and oil spill on the lake where they live.

Residents of Wabamun, 65 kilometres west of Edmonton, said CN failed to show up to a scheduled meeting to update them on efforts to clean up the spill on the lake and keep fuel oil from spreading in the water.

"There's an army of CN vehicles here with equipment to fix their track, and yet we're fending on our own here," said cabin owner Don Goss.

"The trains are rolling and there's virtually nothing happening as far as cleanup. They're telling us there is, but we're not seeing it."

Goss said dozens of residents were standing on the tracks to try to block the next train from coming through.

RCMP officers were monitoring the protest.

Alberta Environment said it would issue an environmental protection order to force CN to take certain steps as part of the cleanup within a certain time frame.

Environment Minister Guy Boutilier was to give more details on the order at a news conference Friday afternoon.

Department spokesman Robert Moyles said CN's cleanup of Lake Wabamun's shoreline and efforts to contain the oil slick were continuing, but Alberta Environment was not satisfied.

"They are still working to try to contain it on the lake, on the surface. It's still spreading. It has breached some of the booms," Moyles said.

The rail company ran out of booms and was bringing more in from across North America, he said. CN also contacted experts in San Francisco on birds affected by oil spills.

CN officials did not return phone calls.

Residents were still bringing in oil-slicked water birds for cleanup at the village arena. Hugh Wollis, a biologist with Alberta Fish and Wildlife, said volunteers had cleaned up several dozen birds, but had to destroy some of them.

He said he was optimistic hundreds - not thousands - of birds may have been affected, based on the numbers brought into the centre, and the fact there have been no sightings of dead fish or birds on the lake.

"There is a long-term effect. What that will do, who knows?" Wollis said. "The quicker they get the oil removed, the less impact it has."

Wollis said his staff was out on the water Friday to determine what areas needed cleanup first. Most important is the shallow water around the shoreline where young fish live and birds go to find food.

Wabamun Mayor Larry Burton said the village, which takes its water from the lake, is having it trucked in and has a five-day supply in its reservoir. He said he doesn't know what the long-term solution will be if tests show the lake water is unsafe.

He also said business owners are worried about the economic effects if tourist traffic falls and cottagers leave.

"Who's going to buy their property? This thing is going to devaluate everybody's property," Burton said. "It's going to be a hard sell to say come on to Wabamun, enjoy our beautiful lake."

NDP environment critic David Eggen said the province needs to do a better job co-ordinating the cleanup because CN isn't stepping up.

"They spent all night rebuilding their track. That's where they've focused their energies," Eggen said.

The train derailed Wednesday when 43 of 140 cars left the tracks. Some of the cars contained bunker fuel oil, used in liquid asphalt and to power barges and ships. Fifteen of those cars, as well as a car full of lubricating oil, began to leak into the lake.

Source: Canadian Press

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