EPA, railroad agree to $140,000 settlement for Wyoming spill

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - The U.S. government and a railroad have reached a settlement agreement under which the company will pay $140,000 for spilling fuel and oil in a Wyoming river after a crash.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's announcement of the settlement Monday opened a 30-day period for people to comment on the agreement, the Casper Star-Tribune reported.

Three BNSF Railway locomotives and five rail cars crashed into a train and derailed in eastern Wyoming's Wendover Canyon in 2019. The crash injured an engineer and conductor and released 5,900 gallons of diesel fuel and 800 gallons of lubricating oil into the North Platte River, according to the EPA.

BNSF notified federal authorities and placed floating devices downstream to collect the contaminants. The railroad also worked with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to slow the river's flow.

The spill violated the federal Clean Water Act, according to the EPA.