CN fined $2.5M for fuel spill

A federal court in Edmonton has fined Canadian National Railway $2.5 million for spilling diesel fuel into the North Saskatchewan River.

The railroad pleaded guilty to one violation under the federal Fisheries Act and three charges under the Canadian Environment Protection Act. The Fisheries Act charge related to the impact on fish and wildlife from the April, 2015 spill.

Reports quoted federal prosecutor Erin Eacott as saying CN was “grossly negligent” by not taking “simple and inexpensive steps” that could have prevented the incident. A malfunctioning separator discharged a mix of diesel and water into a storm sewer in CN’s Bissell Yard in north Edmonton on April 9, 2015.

The conviction is one of the first under Canada’s amended federal Fisheries Act.