Washington, D.C. – Today, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a $310 million settlement with Norfolk Southern for damages from the February 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, OH, that also impacted nearby Pennsylvania communities. Senator Fetterman released the following statement in response:
“This is an important settlement and a welcome development. But it does not mean our work here is done. We will keep working to ensure that the people of Darlington Township get what they deserve from Norfolk Southern because we cannot let impacted Pennsylvanians get left behind. We also must work to ensure that this sort of disaster will never happen again on any rail line. We cannot let the negligence of companies like Norfolk Southern continue to hurt our communities.”
The $310 settlement includes:
- Approximately $235 million for past and future cleanup costs, including reimbursing all government expenses;
- $25 million for a 20-year community health program;
- A $15 million civil penalty, which is the maximum amount under the Clean Water Act;
- $30 million for long-term monitoring of ground and surface water and private drinking water sources for 10 years;
- Approximately $7 million for environmental remediation projects to address legacy contamination and improve groundwater quality; and
- An agreement on additional safety measures, projects, and plans, including the installation of additional devices to detect failures and plans for safe vent and burns after incidents.
Senator Fetterman has been outspoken about the need for accountability following the East Palestine derailment. Senator Fetterman’s very first piece of legislation, the Railway Accountability Act, which he introduced with Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), would implement commonsense railway safety reforms and hold railroad companies accountable for the safety and wellbeing of their workers and passengers. He also introduced the Assistance for Local Heroes During Train Crises Act with Senators Casey and Brown, which would support first responders on the front lines of hazardous train derailments. Finally, Senator Fetterman is also an original cosponsor of the bipartisan Railway Safety Act, which would increase penalties for railroads involved in toxic spills and take other steps to prevent future train derailments.