Crude oil driven through reserve
US company must pay indigenous people $400 million
18.06.2024, 10:35 a.m.
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A railroad company in the USA is allowed to transport goods through an indigenous tribe’s tribal territory with their permission. However, there are strict rules for doing so. For violating these rules, the company must now pay a high fine running into millions.
A Texas railroad company must pay the indigenous Swinomish tribe almost 400 million US dollars because it transported crude oil through their reservation in the state of Washington without authorization. This was the decision of a US court in Seattle. The tribe had already won in an earlier ruling. The question now was how much money the company earned from the transport and therefore had to hand over to the tribe. The 400 million US dollars now set corresponds to around 370 million euros.
It is unclear how the company invested its illegal profits and what returns it generated, explained the judge in charge. He assumes that those responsible made far more profit from their misconduct – but given the amount of the compensation payment now calculated, he is refraining from awarding an even larger sum.
According to the Seattle Times, the company has been using rails that run through tribal territory since 1991 with the permission of the Swinomish. However, the agreement states that no more than 25 wagons can be transported per day. The Swinomish must also be informed about the type of cargo.
A train accident last year released thousands of liters of diesel fuel into the reserve’s environment.
(Photo: AP)
The tribe filed a lawsuit in 2015 after the company sent significantly more wagons loaded with crude oil to nearby refineries. However, the railroad company had not received specific permission for the cargo and the quantity.
The Swinomish tribal area is located on the Pacific coast in the northwest of the USA, about 100 kilometers north of Seattle. Fishing is of great cultural and economic importance to the community. Last year, thousands of liters of diesel fuel were released into the environment when two locomotives derailed on the reservation.