Nearly 20 months after a Norfolk Southern train derailment pushed the small eastern Ohio community of East Palestine into the national spotlight, a federal judge approved a $600 million settlement.
The settlement covers residents, property owners and businesses within 20 miles of the derailment site and subsequent chemical release that happened Feb. 3, 2023.
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According to court-appointed class attorneys, less than 1% of the nearly 200,000 households involved in the East Palestine train derailment settlement opted out of the $600 million deal.
A court filing after the July 1 opt-out and objection deadline showed 0.09% of the 190,887 households in the settlement class opted out of the agreement. The settlement class includes households in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
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Chemical pollution emitting from the East Palestine, Ohio, train crash in 2023 rained down on 16 different states, according to a study released on Wednesday.
A Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed and crashed in East Palestine in February 2023, sending plumes of black smoke rising over Ohio and Pennsylvania. The smoke carried the chemicals and polluted 16 states, spreading over roughly 540,000 square miles of land, according to a new study published in Environmental Research Letters.
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Norfolk Southern reached a $310 million settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice on Thursday over a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last year.
The settlement, which has yet to be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, requires Norfolk Southern to spend an estimated $235 million for clean-up, $30 million for water quality monitoring, $25 million for a 20-year community health program, and $6 million to prioritize addressing historical pollution through a “waterways remediation plan,” reported the Washington Examiner.
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Norfolk Southern Corporation announced Tuesday that it reached a $600 million settlement in a class action lawsuit in response to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last year.
The railroad company said in a press release that if the court approves the settlement, all class action lawsuits within a 20-mile radius of the derailment and all personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius of the derailment will be resolved.
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U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) questioned National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy on the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine last year during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing entitled, “National Transportation Safety Board Investigations Report” on Wednesday.
On February 3, 2023, 50 train carriages, 10 of which were carrying hazardous materials, derailed in East Palestine. Hundreds of residents evacuated as a result of a controlled burn of noxious vinyl chloride that Norfolk Southern carried out on February 6 to stop an explosion.
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President Joe Biden traveled to East Palestine, Ohio on Friday more than a year after a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed to meet with residents and community leaders, including East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway who called the president’s visit “long-awaited.”
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The federal agency responsible for determining the cause of the 2023 Norfolk Southern toxic train derailment said they’ll hold investigatory hearings in June to complete their findings.
The National Safety Transportation Board announced Wednesday that it will hold back-to-back hearings on June 22-23 at the East Palestine High School in the Ohio-Pennsylvania border town where the derailment occurred just over a year ago.
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Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) traveled to East Palestine on Friday to meet with residents and survey the status of the environmental cleanup of the area nearly one year after a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed.
In remarks to the media, Vance called on the Biden administration to fund a long-term health screening program for residents despite revealing the administration’s refusal to provide the funding that has “already been appropriated” for such screenings.
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A year after a toxic train derailment left East Palestine, Ohio, reeling, a lawsuit aimed at helping the city and state recover is still ongoing.
Attorney General Dave Yost continued to wait for answers.
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As the one-year anniversary approaches of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, President Joe Biden says he will soon visit the area to meet with locals and assess the recovery efforts.
The White House has not confirmed when, but said that a trip to the site near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border would be made in February. The derailment of the Norfolk Southern train, just east of the town center, led to a conflagration when officials decided to burn off vinyl chloride, exposing residents and nature to chemical smoke and fumes.
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Eighteen businesses in East Palestine, Ohio have been approved for more than $3.3 million in forgivable loans to assist with recovery efforts lingering from February’s train derailment.
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Senator JD Vance (R-OH) renewed calls for the passage of his Railway Safety Act on Thursday after a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine on February 3.
“Two hundred and fifty days have passed since the disastrous train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Yet Congress has still not passed commonsense railway safety legislation to prevent something like this from happening again,” Vance said in a statement. “Enough is enough – it’s time for the Senate to pass the Railway Safety Act.”
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On Monday, U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) said that rail giant Norfolk Southern’s property value reimbursement program for the residents of East Palestine has so far been a “complete and total disaster.”
This follows Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw announcing in May that Norfolk Southern Railroad would set up a fund to compensate East Palestine homeowners for losses in property value due to the catastrophic February 3rd train derailment that spilled hazardous chemicals into the community.
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U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) is frustrated by the slow pace of cleanup from Norfolk Southern’s February train derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio.
Vance visited the derailment site and met with local leaders to discuss the cleanup status on Monday evening. According to Vance, the cleanup was supposed to be completed in July but now in the middle of August, it’s still nowhere near completion.
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Norfolk Southern has agreed to enhance safety measures for workers cleaning up the site of its February derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that the rail giant entered into an agreement with the federal government and the Teamsters’ rail maintenance worker division to enhance working conditions and crew training after federal inspectors discovered the company had broken a number of regulations, including not requiring or enforcing the use of protective gear.
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State and federal officials continue to monitor the impact of the Norfolk Southern train derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, but independent scientists worry that indoor air quality has been ignored.
The lack of transparency, too, has made it harder to build and maintain public trust.
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Cincinnati voters are to decide in November whether the city can sell a city-owned rail line for over $1.6 billion to Norfolk Southern, the same company that caused the toxic disaster in East Palestine earlier this year.
The Cincinnati Southern Railway Board of Trustees unanimously voted to place the proposed sale of the rail line on the November 7th ballot.
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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine requested on Monday that President Joe Biden issue a Major Presidential Disaster Declaration for damage resulting from the catastrophic East Palestine train derailment that occurred earlier this year.
This follows two groups of protestors, Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment and River Valley Organizing, pressuring the Ohio Governor to submit a disaster declaration before the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Monday deadline.
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A chemistry professor testified during a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) fact-finding hearing that the controlled burn of vinyl chloride from the Norfolk Southern train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio earlier this year may not have been necessary.
Norfolk Southern officials says that the unified command made the decision to vent and burn the vinyl chloride, out of concern for polymerization, a molecular chemical reaction that may have caused the tanker cars to rise in temperature resulting in a disastrous explosion.
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Norfolk Southern Railway announced that it intends to spend over $25 million to upgrade and revitalize East Palestine City Park as part of the railroad’s response to help make things right following the catastrophic train derailment earlier this year.
The announcement follows East Palestine City Council approving the proposed plans for the project on Monday night. Norfolk Southern will now develop a full master plan for the community park in the village’s center.
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Protesters interrupted a session of the Ohio House this week demanding that Governor Mike DeWine declare a state of emergency in East Palestine as a result of the catastrophic train derailment earlier this year.
The group’s Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment and River Valley Organizing gathered to pressure the Ohio governor to submit a disaster declaration before the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) July 3rd deadline. Also, the groups protested in the Rotunda at the Ohio Capitol Building and marched into DeWine’s offices.
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Two Pennsylvania state senators announced this week they are introducing a companion bill to a house-passed measure designed to improve rail safety.
Senate action on the bill sponsored by State Senators Katie Muth (D-Royersford) and Lindsey Williams (D-Pittsburgh) would advance the legislation toward Governor Josh Shapiro’s (D) desk. The house version passed that chamber 141-62 earlier this month with the support of all Democratic representatives and a sizable minority of Republicans.
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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine submitted a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requesting a second extension on the deadline for Ohio to request a major disaster declaration for damage resulting from the catastrophic East Palestine train derailment which occurred earlier this year.
The FEMA website states that a major disaster declaration provides a wide range of federal assistance programs for individuals and public infrastructure, including funds for both emergency and permanent work.
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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, State Senator Michael Rulli (R-Salem), and State Representative Monica Blasdel (R-Columbiana County) announced that the state of Ohio is offering zero-interest, forgivable loans of up to $1 million to businesses affected by the catastrophic East Palestine train derailment earlier this year.
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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost reached a settlement with the sham charity, the Ohio Clean Water Fund, which stole thousands of dollars after pretending to raise money for East Palestine residents in the wake of the disastrous February 3rd train derailment.
Under the settlement, the sham charity must return over the $131,000 in pocketed donations so the money truly does benefit East Palestine residents.
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Norfolk Southern Railway seeks to dismiss a mass class action lawsuit against it following the catastrophic train derailment that occurred in East Palestine, Ohio earlier this year.
The class action lawsuit, filed in federal court in Youngstown, is a collection of 31 separate lawsuits that residents and businesses from East Palestine and the surrounding areas brought against the railroad corporation. Earlier this year U.S. District Judge Benita Pearson ordered that all 31 cases be consolidated to streamline proceedings.
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Norfolk Southern Railway announced that it intends to renovate and donate its historic East Palestine train depot as part of the railroad’s response following the catastrophic train derailment earlier this year.
Norfolk Southern said it will restore and upgrade the exterior of the building. The railway giant will turn the interior into a blank space so the community may shape the future development of this property according to its own vision. To help the village continue to improve the facility, Norfolk Southern will donate $100,000.
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Norfolk Southern announced an additional initiative to support the community of East Palestine following the catastrophic train derailment that occurred earlier this year.
The railway giant signed a two-year lease agreement for a new, closer, and more permanent Family Assistance Center (FAC) that will replace the current center located at the Abundant Life Fellowship Church. The original FAC was set up within 24 hours of the incident on February 3rd.
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Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has announced that Norfolk Southern Railroad will set up a fund to compensate East Palestine homeowners for losses in property value due to the catastrophic February 3rd train derailment that spilled hazardous chemicals into the community.
In a letter to U.S. Senators JD Vance (R-OH), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) Shaw said he would immediately launch the fund instead of waiting for litigation to end.
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Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) swore in two new members to the Ohio House to fill the vacant seats left due to the passing of State Representative Kris Jordan (R-Ostrander) and the resignation of State Representative Brian Baldridge (R- Winchester) to take a job as state agriculture director.
After the untimely passing of Jordan, Delaware County Republican Brian Lorenz (R-Powell) has been chosen to fill the remaining term for the 60th House District seat.
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U.S. Senator JD Vance’s (R-OH) bipartisan rail safety legislation gained significant momentum with an endorsement from former President Donald Trump.
The Railway Safety Act sponsored by Vance and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), would require that trains carrying hazardous materials be scanned by wayside defect detectors, or “hotbox detectors,” every 10 miles to prevent future derailments caused by faulty wheel bearings. It stipulates that railroad companies must provide advance notification to state emergency response commissions when transporting hazardous materials. It requires railroads to operate with at least two-person crews. It also increases the maximum fine for rail safety violations.
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Three Republican Pennsylvania lawmakers are preparing to introduce a resolution calling on Congress to pass a new rail-safety statute in light of February’s train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
State Representative Jim Marshall (R-Beaver Falls) told The Pennsylvania Daily Star he is co-sponsoring the resolution to encourage an “all-in approach” to reduce the likelihood of freight-train accidents. State Representatives Natalie Mihalek (R-Pittsburgh) and Ryan Warner (R-Connellsville) spearhead the measure.
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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced on Wednesday that a preliminary injunction was issued against Michael Peppel and his sham charity, Ohio Clean Water Fund, who stole thousands of dollars after pretending to raise money for East Palestine residents in the wake of the disastrous February 3rd train derailment.
Yost claimed in his initial lawsuit and request for a temporary restraining order that Peppel, a resident of Leetonia, and other individuals had pocketed at least $131,000 of the approximately $141,000 collected from more than 3,000 donors to allegedly help the community of East Palestine.
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Norfolk Southern announced on Wednesday that it expects the costs associated with February’s East Palestine, Ohio train derailment to amount to $387 million. The company anticipates the sum to rise over time, which doesn’t represent the final amount the railroad’s insurance providers will pay out.
The $387 million estimate includes the $30.9 million the railroad promised to assist locals and the residents of East Palestine in recovering from the incident, cleanup costs, community support, restoration payments, legal and advising fees, and an early estimate of claims and settlements.
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Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testified to the Ohio Senate Select Committee on Rail Safety on Tuesday, over two months after the February 3rd train derailment in East Palestine.
Ohio Senators questioned Shaw over a wide range of topics related to the derailment and subsequent controlled release of toxic chemicals that negatively impacted the environment and the health and safety of residents, including long-term community assistance programs, two-person crew requirements, and safety requirements for tanker cars.
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Well over two months have passed since a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, less than a mile from Pennsylvania’s border, and President Joe Biden hasn’t visited affected communities in either state. Pennsylvania lawmakers are urging him to do so.
Six weeks ago Biden said he would “be out there at some point.” The White House did not respond to a request for comment on whether he has yet scheduled a visit. (Biden’s Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg first went to the site more than two weeks after the derailment.)
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According to a new lawsuit filed by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost in the Columbiana County Court of Common Pleas, a sham charity stole thousands of dollars after pretending to raise money for East Palestine residents in the wake of the disastrous February 3rd train derailment.
Yost announced on Tuesday that he is suing Mike Peppel, a resident of Leetonia, for allegedly running a fraudulent charity fund that he promoted to help East Palestine. The February 3rd Norfolk Southern train derailment due to an overheated wheel bearing, which resulted in the release of poisonous chemicals into the environment, drastically changed the lives of locals.
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Residents of East Palestine and the surrounding areas now have a permanent location to go in the village for medical attention as worries about short- and long-term health continue to grow in the wake of February’s Norfolk Southern train catastrophe.
On Monday, the East Palestine Health Clinic formally opened its doors in collaboration with East Liverpool City Hospital and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).
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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s office said on Monday that a truck carrying toxic soil from the East Palestine train derailment overturned, spilling roughly half of its contents onto a roadway in Columbiana County.
The tractor-trailer had an open top and was hauling 40,000 pounds of contaminated soil away from the East Palestine derailment site.
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State Representative Jessica Benham (D-PA-Carrick) is asking colleagues to cosponsor her new bill to pay rail-safety inspectors at the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) more and hire more of them.
Benham’s is the latest in a profusion of measures offered by Keystone State lawmakers to address freight-rail concerns in light of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio that occurred two months ago. A memorandum she authored describing her bill suggests the commonwealth needs more than its current 10 rail-safety inspectors who oversee more than 5,600 miles of track.
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Three Ohio U.S. lawmakers are demanding that Norfolk Southern, the same company that caused the toxic train disaster in East Palestine earlier this year, pay for damages caused by a train derailment that occurred in Sandusky, Ohio last October.
Ohio U.S. Senators JD Vance (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) as well as U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09) sent a letter to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw on Wednesday demanding that the railroad “take responsibility and pay immediately for costs to repair the damage” by the Sandusky wreck.
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U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) wants the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to look into how residents of East Palestine and nearby towns are affected by the chemicals that were released during the February 3rd Norfolk Southern train derailment.
On Monday, Vance along with U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), and John Fetterman (D-PA) sent a letter to NIH Director Lawrence Tabak and NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Director Rick Woychik urging them to “help assess and mobilize existing assets and resources to respond to the community’s biomedical research needs.”
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Seven of the 15 government investigators who studied the possible health effects of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment briefly fell ill while at the site, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The investigators, who were part of a team from the agency’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, experienced sore throats, coughing, nausea and headaches in early March, CNN reported Friday.
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials investigating potential health impacts in a small Ohio town impacted by a toxic train derailment became ill during their study, CNN reported.
Seven CDC members reported sore throats, headaches, coughing and nausea while in East Palestine, Ohio, weeks after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in early February and a controlled burn leaked hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride, into the environment, the CDC told CNN on Thursday. The CDC members’ symptoms are consistent with health complaints reported by residents and first responders.
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In order to completely clean up the scene of a flaming train derailment that happened last month in the small town of East Palestine, Ohio, Norfolk Southern has decided to only work with Ohio-based companies.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced on Wednesday that he believed it was a good idea for the railroad to recruit businesses from throughout the state to carry out the work, which may take two years to complete.
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The State Legislature revived Cincinnati city officials’ attempt to sell a city-owned rail line to Norfolk Southern, the same company that caused the toxic disaster in East Palestine, which stalled last month,
City leaders announced a plan to sell the rail line that runs to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Norfolk Southern at the end of last year for $1.6 billion. However, that deal could not be done without changes to state law.
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Federal and state Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials were questioned about the East Palestine train derailment at a Tuesday hearing of the U.S. House Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee over a month after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.
Debra Shore, the regional administrator of the U.S. EPA Region 5, and Anne Vogel, the director of the Ohio EPA, both gave testimony and detailed the actions they have taken in reaction to the incident.
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States throughout the nation that have facilities for storing hazardous waste are still working to stop the transport of contaminated debris from an Ohio train disaster that culminated in a fire to their states.
On Saturday, the City and County of Baltimore, Maryland announced in a joint statement that they are “seeking a legal opinion from the Attorney General’s Office regarding the City’s requirement to treat and discharge the waste from the Norfolk Southern Railroad derailment.”
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A Republican Pennsylvania lawmaker is urging colleagues to cosponsor state-level legislation to limit a freight train’s length to no greater than 8,500 feet.
State Representative Louis Schmitt, Jr. (R-Altoona) reasoned in a memorandum describing his proposal that the February 3 derailment in East Palestine, less than half a mile from Pennsylvania’s western border, shows current rail-safety requirements are inadequate.
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