The Gitxsan Huwilp Government says it’s concerned about the impact of a train derailment in its territory.
CN Rail says 34 cars of a freight train carrying wood pellets left the track early Tuesday morning along the Skeena River near Kitwanga.
The company says no dangerous goods were involved and none of the cargo ended up in the water, but Simogyet (Hereditary Chief) Simidik Calvin Heizims says he’s worried about the derailment’s impacts on the Skeena, including sedimentation from the disturbed soils and damage to riparian vegetation..
“Though the impacts may seem minor in nature, there is potential for far more environmental
damage to occur during the clean-up efforts, sometimes far exceeding the derailment impact itself,” says Simogyet Simidik in a news release.
He says the Gitxsan will be monitoring the situation to ensure CN does all of the necessary work to protect the environment and reclaim the site back to pre-disturbance conditions or better.
The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the derailment.
