Norfolk Southern agrees to $310 million settlement with U.S. Department of Justice over East Palestine train

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Norfolk Southern agreed to pay $310 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice over the train derailment disaster in East Palestine that spilled hazardous chemicals into nearby creeks and waterways.

The agreement and consent decree must be approved by U.S. District Judge John Adams. If approved, Adams will oversee Norfolk Southern’s compliance with the terms of the settlement. Thirty-eight rail cars carrying hazardous chemicals derailed on Feb. 3, 2023. The chemicals spilled into the ground and some ended up in the Ohio River. Among the chemicals released into the air, water and soil included vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, isobutylene and benzene residue.

The derailment rocked the Columbiana County city of about 5,000 that sits near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. About 2,000 residents were evacuated from their homes.The settlement with the Justice Department does not affect a lawsuit filed by the Ohio attorney general’s office over the derailment. That case remains on-going.

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Norfolk Southern will pay modest $15 million fine as part of federal settlement over Ohio derailmentThe federal government agreed to a modest $15 million fine for Norfolk Southern over last year’s disastrous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The Environmental Protection Agency and Justice Department announced the agreement Thursday, two days after a federal judge signed off on the railroad’s $600 million class action settlement with residents.
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »