Alaska Railroad officials said Tuesday that they need herbicides to control fast-growing weeds and plants along the train tracks because the plants are hampering safety.
The railroad proposed using two commonly available weed killers called glyphosate and 2,4-D and a Dupont Chemical product called Oust Extra, which can be used only by professionals, according to an application filed with the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Rural Railbelt communities like Talkeetna and environmental groups have stopped past efforts by the railroad to use weedkillers.
Some chemicals the railroad is proposing to use are known to cause health problems or birth defects, said Pam Miller of Alaska Community Action on Toxics.
"The fact this (would be) sprayed on railroad right of way that crosses hundreds of creeks, salmon streams, places where people gather berries ... the potential for exposure is very high," Miller said.
The railroad decided to consider herbicides because of stress on the railroad's 500 miles of track from Seward to Fairbanks, safety concerns and a desire to protect miles of track upgrades completed over the last decade, officials said.
Weeds and roots growing in the rail bed hamper drainage and destabilize tracks, said Ernie Piper, assistant vice president for operations and safety. Taller brush can block vision at crossings and curves.
The Federal Railroad Administration has fined the state-owned railroad tens of thousands of dollars in recent years for failing to adequately control vegetation.
The chemicals the railroad plans to use would be absorbed in soil and decompose quickly, Piper said. A drift retardant would be added to the mix so it wouldn't blow off-site, he said.
Railroad officials said most North American railroads control vegetation with herbicides.
Piper said the railroad hasn't used herbicides since 1984, when a federal judge ordered it to stop because of unsatisfactory environmental reviews.
Railroad workers have been using steam and rail-mounted brush cutters and have whacked weeds by hand.
A review of the application, including a public comment period, will put a decision off until at least this fall.
