SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Environmental group San Diego Coastkeeper has announced an agreement with BNSF Railway for development of rules for safe transportation of plastic pellets, also known as nurdles — the raw material for the production of almost all plastic products.
The agreement, announced Thursday, Feb. 5, also involves the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation and North County Transit District, operator of Coaster commuter trains and owner of the Surf Line route used by BNSF along the San Diego County coast.
The pellets are roughly the size of a lentil, and are difficult to clean up in the event of a release. BNSF’s new policies require customers to seal both loaded and unloaded cars that transport the pellets, and say the railroad will not handle non-compliant cars, with escalating fees for non-compliance. The railroad is working with the Association of American Railroads and pellet shippers and receivers to develop best practices for pellet transportation.
“BNSF remains dedicated to its industry-leading efforts to ensure that railroads are the most environmentally preferred mode of surface transportation and thanks CERF and Coastkeeper for the constructive collaboration to address these issues,” Scot Bates, assistant vice president, chemicals and plastics at BNSF, said in a press release.
Patrick McDonough, senior attorney at Coastkeeper, called the agreement “a significant win for our oceans, both globally and locally. With an estimated 25 to 30 billion nurdles entering our ocean each day, we’re thrilled BNSF and NCTD have joined Coastkeeper and CERF to take a leadership role in tackling this crisis.”
The agreement settles a legal dispute dating to 2024, when Coastkeeper and CERF announced the intent to sue BNSF, saying the railroad was violating the Clean Water Act because of nurdles spilling or leaking from freight trains.
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