BNSF Railway Company plume trial to begin

LIVINGSTON (AP) — A trial to determine BNSF Railway Company's responsibilities for cleaning up plumes of fuel and toxic solvents beneath Livingston starts Monday in Great Falls.

The trial is set to resolve a suit 165 Livingston plaintiffs filed in 2007, which alleges BNSF has neglected to adequately clean up pollutants the company and its predecessors dumped at the Livingston Rail Yard for decades.

Pollutants migrated from the 90-acre rail yard into surrounding residential and business properties, exposing affected landowners to health and safety risks and diminishing the value of their proper...