Railroad owes nearly $400M to WA tribe, judge rules

BNSF Railway Co. must pay the Swinomish tribe $394 million for violating the terms of an agreement that allowed the railroad to run trains across a strip of the tribe’s land in northwest Washington, a federal judge ruled Monday.

U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik ruled last year against the railroad for trespassing between 2012 and 2021 as it sent trains carrying crude oil from North Dakota through the Swinomish Reservation, en route to refineries near Anacortes.

Determining what amount of money the railroad owed the tribe was left for another phase of the proceedings, which included a bench trial Lasnik oversaw earlier this month.

The tribe argued that the unauthorized rail traffic resulted in around $450 million in ill-gotten gains that should be handed over – or “disgorged” – to remedy the situation.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/06/17/railroad-owes-nearly-400m-to-washington-tribe-judge-rules/

It used to be oil was delivered to the refinery by ocean tankers then the refined product was shipped out by rail. Now you have deliveries going both directions hence the more frequent trains.