On Saturday, a coal train got stuck on the tracks for hours, sparking concerns about how first responders would access the beach during an emergency.

A health authority in British Columbia says a recent train derailment that spilled coal into the Thompson River near Ashcroft has made water unsafe for consumption.

The clean-up involves machinery used to suck large piles of powdered coal from the area, which is designated a sensitive fish and wildlife habitat by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Canadian Pacific spokesperson Ed Greenberg said they are taking the incident seriously, but this is not a common occurrence.

The Quintette coal mine near Tumbler Ridge will reopen after getting approval from the B.C. government this week.

A resident of Rosedale, B.C. is concerned about the “ludacris” amount of dust coming off coal trains recently, and has caught the pollution on video.

The Quintette Mine, about 20 kilometres south of Tumbler Ridge, had previously operated for about 18 years, after opening in 1982.

Residents of British Columbia's Lower Mainland have been raising questions about the impact of coal trains on human health, just as the province's economy prepares to kick into high gear over resource development and a major port mulls the creation of a new facility for the fossil fuel.

Environmentalists are fighting plans to increase BC coal exports to Asia but the developing world sees a fundamental hypocrisy in nations like Canada -- which built their economies on coal -- now telling developing countries they can't use coal.

One local port says its future depends on shipping more coal out of Metro Vancouver. Trouble is, this isn't BC coal and some say the benefits don't match the environmental risks. Jas Johal has part three of our series.