The Justice Department this week filed a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Railway and its parent company following the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this year.
The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Eastern Division on Thursday, contends that Norfolk Southern should be held "accountable for unlawfully polluting the nation's waterways and to ensure it pays the full cost of the environmental cleanup."
It also describes the incident, saying that: "The derailment caused dozens of rail cars to collide into one another and fall over. Fire broke out and lasted for days. Residents of the town had to be evacuated from their homes. As a result of this incident, hazardous materials vented into the air and spilled onto the ground. These substances contaminated local waterways and flowed miles downstream" before the Environmental Protection Agency and other government bodies began cleanup efforts.
The lawsuit notes that: "Exposure to these hazardous materials at sufficiently high levels has been associated variously with an increased risk of cancer; risks to fetal development; damage to organs like the liver, kidneys, lungs, and skin; and other health conditions."
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has issued multiple apologies for the environmental damage caused by the derailment and has pledged to cover the cost of cleanup. The state of Ohio filed a lawsuit against the company about two weeks ago in order to ensure that Norfolk Southern pays for cleanup and for the monitoring of groundwater and soil in the upcoming years.
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.