Irving Oil was ordered Thursday to pay Can$4 million (US$3.1 million) for failing to safely transport oil by rail, following a probe of a train crash that razed part of a Quebec town and killed 47 people.
The company plead guilty to 34 counts for offenses under Canada's Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, including failing to properly classify crude oil as a dangerous good, and keeping erroneous shipping documents.
The offenses occurred from November 2012 to July 2013, during which time the company moved about 14,000 tanker cars containing oil, according to a joint federal police and Transport Canada investigation.
On July 6, 2013, a 72-car train carrying oil from the Bakken shale fields of the US state of North Dakota to an Irving Oil refinery in New Brunswick came loose during a stop in the middle of the night, rolled down a hill unmanned and derailed, exploding in the center of Lac Megantic, Quebec.
More than 2,000 people had to be evacuated from the picturesque lakeside town. Firefighters needed two days to put out the raging blaze.
The amount to be paid by Irving includes Can$400,000 in fines and Can$3.6 million for transportation safety research.
Irving Oil was ordered Thursday to pay Can$4 million (US$3.1 million) for failing to safely transport oil by rail, following a probe of a train crash that razed part of a Quebec town and killed 47 people.
The company plead guilty to 34 counts for offenses under Canada’s Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, including failing to properly classify crude oil as a dangerous good, and keeping erroneous shipping documents.
The offenses occurred from November 2012 to July 2013, during which time the company moved about 14,000 tanker cars containing oil, according to a joint federal police and Transport Canada investigation.
On July 6, 2013, a 72-car train carrying oil from the Bakken shale fields of the US state of North Dakota to an Irving Oil refinery in New Brunswick came loose during a stop in the middle of the night, rolled down a hill unmanned and derailed, exploding in the center of Lac Megantic, Quebec.
More than 2,000 people had to be evacuated from the picturesque lakeside town. Firefighters needed two days to put out the raging blaze.
The amount to be paid by Irving includes Can$400,000 in fines and Can$3.6 million for transportation safety research.
