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There were no injuries in the accident involving an eastbound 81-car
freight train, said Jeremy Berry, spokesman for the railway.
A total of 12 railway cars derailed, and 11 of those were carrying
ethanol, Canadian Pacific said in a statement.
The railway did not confirm reports in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald
that three cars had fallen into the Mississippi River. The waterway
is frozen or near-frozen and there is no river traffic in the area,
an Army Corps of Engineers official said.
The incident is likely to add to a debate about transporting
flammable goods by train after a series of fiery accidents involving
crude oil cargoes in recent years.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has proposed new safety
features for new tank cars transporting fuel and called for the
phasing out of older cars considered unsafe.
The U.S. ethanol industry has pushed back on the new rules, saying
regulators should distinguish between corn-based biofuel and crude
oil.
Ethanol is less volatile than crude oil, is biodegradable and has a
99.997 percent rail safety record, according to the national
Renewable Fuels Association.
Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw was
not immediately available to comment on Wednesday's accident.
Last year, he told Reuters his group supports additional regulations
to strengthen railcar safety, especially measures that would help
prevent accidents, but that new rules should take into account the
differences between ethanol and crude oil.
"CP's emergency protocols were immediately enacted and all safety
precautions and measures are being taken as our crews respond to the
incident," the railway said in the statement.
Berry said hazardous materials teams from the railway would
coordinate with officials in investigating the incident.
The area around the accident was evacuated as a precaution, but
there were no homes close by, the Telegraph Herald said, citing fire
and emergency personnel.
(Reporting by Fiona Ortiz in Chicago and Josephine Mason in New York
City; Editing by Peter Cooney and Sandra Maler)
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