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DC GOVERNMENT LINKS www.dc.gov For More Information Contact: Department of the Environment http://ddoe.dc.gov/ 51 N Street, NE, Sixth Floor Washington, DC 20009 Phone: (202) 535-2600 Fax: (202) 673-6725 or Department of Parks and Recreation http://dpr.dc.gov/ 3149 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20010 Phone: (202) 673-7647 Fax: (202) 673-6694 _____________________ Brown: CSX Must Assume Full Responsibility for Cost of Removal and Remediation Today, At-Large Councilmember Kwame R. Brown expressed serious concern that planning efforts to clean up the site of the CSX train derailment are efficient and effective. The public has few details regarding the cause of the accident and thus far has not received official plans for cleaning up the site. The Army Corps of Engineers, the DC Department of the Environment, and CSX are in the process of creating and certifying a permit for CSX to clean up the site. “It’s clear that swift action is needed at the site of the derailment due to the potential for long term damage,” said Brown, a member of the Committee on Public Works and the Environment. “Initial reports that the environmental impact will be limited have been understated. I personally have seen fish floating in the Anacostia while viewing the site. We also have an important park adjacent to the site that needs to be protected during the clean up process. Trees, plants, and animals should be carefully considered in the clean up plan.” Coal slurry can cause environmental hazards for wildlife due to increased levels of acidity in the water and dissolved oxygen from the coal can potentially clog up fish gills. PCBs in the sediment are also a major concern that will need to be addressed. “It's my view that CSX must assume full responsibility for the cost of removing pollutants from the site and for long-term remediation as well," Brown concluded. "The health of our community is at stake and we can’t afford to stall or make mistakes.” _____________________________________________________ (Left: James Connolly, Executive Director of the Anacostia Watershed Society, holding a sample of the sediment from the bottom of the Anacostia that was affected by the derailment.) _____________________________________________________ (Right: More damage from the CSX derailment.) _____________________________________________________