'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
An environmental group threatened to sue two of the nation's biggest rail owners Tuesday under a novel legal theory that would classify diesel exhaust as hazardous waste.
An environmental group warned two of the country's biggest rail companies Tuesday that it will sue them in federal court if they don't clean up hazardous waste emitted from diesel engines at 16 California rail yards.
Aaron M. Hunt, a spokesman for Omaha, Neb.-based Union Pacific, did not address the notice but said the company had made substantial progress in reducing emissions over the past several years.
"Union Pacific operations are regulated at the state and federal levels, and we are in compliance with those environmental requirements," he said in an email. "Union Pacific has voluntarily worked with state and federal regulators for more than a decade to substantially reduce locomotive and other emissions in and around California rail yards."
