[thinkprogress.org]

Every day, between 80 to 100 trains laden with coal leave the mines of the Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming, bound for export terminals and power plants across the country.
But coal trains can’t be covered, due to the combustible nature of coal, which means that as these trains rumble through communities, and near rivers, they can spew coal dust into the air and, potentially, into bodies of water.
For years, environmental and climate groups have tried to hold railroad companies that ship coal responsible for the pollution caused by coal trains. Now, a federal judge in Seattle has determined that, under the Clean Water Act, a case can go forward to hold BNSF Railway liable for pollution from coal trains. The judge warned that, to prevail, environmental and climate groups must show that debris from the coal trains is directly polluting bodies of water.
“What’s so important.....................................................