Norfolk Southern will pay $15 million fine as part of federal settlement over Ohio derailment
The federal government agreed to a $15 million fine for Norfolk Southern over last year’s disastrous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio
The federal government agreed to a $15 million fine for Norfolk Southern over last year's disastrous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and the railroad promised to pay more than $500 million to complete the efforts to improve safety that it announced after the crash and address community health concerns.
Residents who had to evacuate their homes after the derailment were generally underwhelmed by the deal the Environmental Protection Agency and Justice Department announced Thursday that doesn’t include any criminal charges. This federal settlement comes two days after a federal judge signed off on the railroad's $600 million class action settlement with residents whose lives were disrupted.
In addition to the civil penalty, Norfolk Southern agreed to pay $235 million in past and future cleanup costs — on top of what they've already paid for cleanup — and set up a $25 million health care fund to pay for 20 years of medical exams in the community. The railroad will also pay about $30 million for long-term monitoring of drinking water, groundwater and surface water in the area. The agreement also says the railroad will pay $244 million for previously promised railroad improvements through 2025.
Many East Palestine residents feel this settlement doesn’t do nearly enough to a company that just reported a $527 million profit in the fourth quarter of last year and $53 million in the first quarter after the derailment costs. The railroad’s CEO received $13.4 million in total compensation last year.
“Honestly, no amount can ever make this right, but it should be at least enough to hurt them a
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