Unified Command Press Release as of 1200 – July 4

Unified Command confirmed that all cars were removed from the eastern span of the bridge late Monday evening. All cars involved in the derailment have now been safely removed from the bridge and surrounding area. Additional construction to the causeway was performed and a crane pad was constructed. An additional crane will be brought onsite to remove the west bridge span and assist in other construction activities. Crews began initial work on bridge construction today.

With no cars remaining, the asphalt source has been removed from the river, mitigating the threat of additional product release. Unified Command has now shifted their efforts and focus to expanded shoreline assessment and cleanup efforts. On-water crews removed over 7,000 pounds of asphalt material during Monday’s operations. Further cleanup and assessment work continues today with additional resources and crews continuing to be deployed to aid in these efforts.

Unified Command continues to communicate with local stakeholders and agencies as the situation evolves. A second public meeting will be held Thursday, July 6, at 6:30pm at the Columbus High School Gym, 433 N 3rd St, Columbus, MT 59019 and via Zoom. For more information and details please visit: https://response.epa.gov/stillwatertrainderailment.

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Members of the public are encouraged to continue reporting sightings of any asphalt material they observe to the email below and continue to avoid touching the material with bare skin. This email can also be used for any impacted landowners to start the process of filing a claim. To report observed asphalt material, submit information to: rpderailment@mtrail.com.

Anyone with information about oiled wildlife are encouraged to call the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) Response Hotline at 888-ASK-OWCN (888-275-6926).

For more information, please visit the response websites:
https://response.epa.gov/stillwatertrainderailment

https://www.stillwatercountymt.gov/train-derailment/

Eastern car being removed

Asphalt waste storage

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This response is operating under a Unified Command which enables different jurisdictions and organizations to jointly manage and direct incident activities. Unified Command for this incident is comprised of representatives from Stillwater County Disaster and Emergency Services, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Montana Rail Link.

FULL RELEASE: Stillwater MT Derailment Press Release 20230704 (PDF)