174 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

CNN, 4/9/24:

 

 

      Norfolk Southern reaches $600 million settlement to settle East Palestine derailment suit  

 

 

Norfolk Southern has reached a $600 million settlement that, if approved by a court, will resolve all class-action lawsuits within 20 miles of its 2023 East Palestine, Ohio, derailment that spilled more than a million pounds of hazardous chemicals into the soil, water and air.

 

Story

[CNJRoss]

News Nation, 4/10/24

 

East Palestine residents unhappy with Norfolk after settlement

• Train derailment left East Palestine residents with health issues
• Railroad company Norfolk Southern settled class action lawsuit
• Residents want to see Norfolk Southern do more to 'make it right'

 

(NewsNation) — Norfolk Southern agreed to a $600 million settlement in a class action lawsuit, but some residents of East Palestine, Ohio, say they still want to see more from the company after a fiery train derailment in the town left them with health issues.

 

About 100,000 residents and businesses are eligible to get money from the settlement. They have to be within a 20-mile radius of the derailment. Split per person, that means these residents can expect to get about $6,000 each before attorney’s fees are added in, although lawyers tell NewsNation some will get more and others will get less depending on their claims.

 

 

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[CNJRoss]

Associated Press, 5/14/24

Whistleblower questions delays and mistakes in way EPA used sensor plane after fiery Ohio derailment

 

The U.S. government has a specialized plane loaded with advanced sensors that officials brag is always ready to deploy within an hour of any kind of chemical disaster. But the plane didn’t fly over eastern Ohio until four days after the disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment there last year.

 

A whistleblower told The Associated Press that the Environmental Protection Agency’s ASPECT plane could have provided crucial data about the chemicals spewing into the air around East Palestine as the wreckage burned and forced people from their homes.

 

The man who wrote the software and helped interpret the data from the advanced radiological and infrared sensors on the plane said it also could have helped officials realize it wasn’t necessary to blow open five tank cars and burn the vinyl chloride inside because the plane’s sensors could have detected the cars’ temperatures more accurately than the responders on the ground who were having trouble safely getting close enough to check.

 

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[CNJRoss]

Trains News Wire

 

Norfolk Southern reaches $310 million East Palestine settlement with EPA, Justice Department

 

By Trains Staff | May 23, 2024

 

The agreement includes a $15 million fine for the hazardous materials derailment in Ohio

 

 

A view of the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment site on July 27, 2023 shows progress made on cleanup. Norfolk Southern

 

WASHINGTON — Norfolk Southern reached a $310 million settlement today with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department regarding cleanup and ongoing monitoring in East Palestine, Ohio, which was the site of a disastrous hazardous materials derailment last year.

 

The agencies said the agreement, which must be approved by a federal court, holds NS accountable for picking up the tab for the Feb. 3 derailment, which likely was caused by the catastrophic failure of a wheel bearing.

 

NS will be required to take measures to improve rail safety, pay for health monitoring and mental health services for the surrounding communities, fund long-term environmental monitoring, pay a $15 million civil penalty, and take other actions to protect nearby waterways and drinking water resources, the agencies said.

 

 

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[CNJRoss]

CNN, 5/23/24

Feds reach $310M settlement with Norfolk Southern after toxic Ohio train derailment. Here’s what else the company has to do

 

CNN  — The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice have reached a $310 million settlement agreement with Norfolk Southern after last year’s train derailment that spilled more than a million pounds of hazardous chemicals into the soil, water and air in Ohio.

“If the settlement is approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Norfolk Southern will be required to take measures to improve rail safety, pay for health monitoring and mental health services for the surrounding communities, fund long-term environmental monitoring, pay a $15 million civil penalty, and take other actions to protect nearby waterways and drinking water resources,” the EPA said Thursday.

 

SNIP

 

When asked whether the $15 million civil penalty is enough, EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters Norfolk Southern is “going above and beyond and actually doing things they had not planned to do,” and “so I think it is a strong step forward.”

 

 

More here.