Coal Train from the Powder River Basin Derails

This past weekend, 19 coal cars derailed in Caledonia, Wisconsin.  The 135-car train was carrying coal from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming to a power plant facility in Sheboygan, Wisconsin when it crashed, most likely due to cold temperatures. Fortunately this time there were no direct injuries, but tons of coal were spilled in the surrounding area and in order to start the clean up 40 trees had to be cleared to make room for the equipment.

Check out this raw footage taken at the scene of the crash which shows coal spilled all over the railways.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLK7xBXnupo[/youtube]

When accidents like this occur, the surrounding communities are disrupted and the wildlife that live in the area are put at risk. Just last week, a coal train accident in British Columbia left coal spilling into local streams and threatening endangered species like the western painted turtle. Wisconsin is home to some awesome wildlife species such as the red fox, bald eagle and the state animal, the badger. Loons’ distinct calls are an iconic piece of lakes across Wisconsin.  Loons are already threatened by climate change and changes to water quality in Wisconsin lakes. A coal spill in theses water ways would be threatening to species like the loon that rely on clean water for survival.

You can  keep up with more incidents like this and see if there has been a coal train derailment near you by checking out our coal derailment tracker map.

Continued coal extraction will lead to more incidents like this crash in Caledonia. Take action now to protect our communities by continuing to stop new coal mining in the Powder River Basin.