40 Coal Cars Derail Along St. Louis River Near Cloquet

BNSF crews had pulled the majority of 40 derailed cars from the St. Louis River north of Cloquet by Monday evening and were working to clear spilled coal that local officials say totaled more than 4,000 tons on the Fond du Lac Reservation, according to Pine Journal reporting and BNSF statements republished by AP outlets.

Forty rail cars of a 121-car coal train derailed near Cloquet around 11:30 a.m. Saturday, BNSF spokeswoman Amy McBeth told AP. McBeth said, "Several cars ended up on their sides near or partially in the frozen St. Louis River." She added that crews were clearing cars, repairing track and preparing a plan to remove spilled coal and remaining derailed cars, and that BNSF estimated the track would be back in service Sunday night. AP reporting also noted, "No one was hurt. The cause of the derailment is under investigation."

Local follow-up by the Pine Journal provided more detailed cleanup figures attributed to Fond du Lac Band spokesperson Makayla Telfer. Pine Journal reported that crews removed all recoverable coal and removed about 16,000 square feet of ice to recover coal trapped between layers of ice, including "more than 130 tons from the bottom of the river." Pine Journal's coverage noted the spill and cleanup timeline in a statement emailed March 25 from Telfer, and a Pine Journal photo caption by Jamie Lund described backhoes scooping piles of coal and the majority of train cars being pulled out by Monday evening. Fox21Online and CBS Minnesota republished AP photos credited "Courtesy: Anthony Gist."

The coal spill unfolded on the Fond du Lac Reservation north of Cloquet, raising tribal and environmental concerns. Pine Journal quoted Makayla Telfer saying, "A long-term ecological monitoring plan is under collaborative development between BNSF and Fond du Lac Band Resource Management staff," and reporting that more than 4,000 tons of coal had been dumped on reservation land. Pine Journal's March 25 statement framed removal as complete for recoverable material while noting restoration work remained ongoing.

State or federal agency involvement was not described in the AP republished accounts or in the Pine Journal pieces supplied. BNSF declined to estimate the amount of coal spilled in initial AP interviews, while the Fond du Lac Band provided the tonnage and recovery figures in its March 25 emailed update. Local reporting and BNSF timelines differ on certain details and dates; Pine Journal gives a specific date for the spill as Feb. 16, AP cited a Saturday around 11:30 a.m., and the Duluth News Tribune published related reporting on Feb. 26.

As recovery transitions to restoration, the next concrete steps named in reporting are implementation of the collaborative ecological monitoring plan between BNSF and Fond du Lac Band resource staff and ongoing restoration work on the reservation and the St. Louis River. Federal or state environmental reviews and independent oversight were not reported in the accounts provided; the Fond du Lac Band and BNSF are the parties explicitly identified in the developing long-term monitoring arrangement.