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Derailing Powder River Basin Coal Exports: Legal Mechanisms To Regulate Fugitive Coal Dust From Rail Transportation, Tovah R. Trimming

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

Coal trains are known as “black snakes.” The name aptly describes the miles of uncovered rail cars bearing the black cargo as they slither along the tracks. During the journey from coal mines to their final destinations, coal trains shed plumes of coal dust from the tops of the train cars. As the dust spews from the rail cars, it fills the surrounding air with harmful substances like mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, manganese, beryllium, and chromium. When the dust settles, these substances are deposited in soil and water, harming plant, animal, and marine life. Environmental consequences from coal dust are …