AG Henry/Gov. Shapiro: Federal Settlement Over Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Does Not Help Enough Pennsylvanians Impacted By The Incident

On August 2, Attorney General Michelle Henry and Gov. Josh Shapiro, in a letter to federal authorities, highlighted issues that Norfolk Southern still must address as a result of the train derailment last year in East Palestine, Ohio. 

Suggested remedies include additional health care funding to benefit Pennsylvanians who were impacted by the event, and stricter regulation of Norfolk Southern’s future operations.

Attorney General Henry, along with Governor Josh Shapiro, filed the letter in response to the U.S. Department of Justice’s request for input on a proposed settlement with Norfolk Southern regarding the Feb. 3, 2023 derailment.

In the response letter, Attorney General Henry commends the Department of Justice for efforts to reach a settlement as soon as possible to help those deeply affected by the disaster. 

The Attorney General, however, remains concerned about Norfolk Southern, identifying shortfalls that keep the full scope of residents and workers who were harmed from receiving sufficient aid, and for failures to provide healthcare treatment costs for harms yet to be known.

“This catastrophic crash had wide-ranging impacts on many Pennsylvania residents and workers, and Norfolk Southern must remedy these impacts,” Attorney General Henry said. “As a result of this incident, many Pennsylvanians are in financial hardship and were physically harmed — the full extent of those negative health impacts still to be seen — and they deserve to be made whole, now and in the future.”

In the response letter, AG Henry points to three main concern areas--

-- Inadequate health care funding for present and future health impacts related to the toxic plumes of contaminants that filled our air following the derailment;

-- Inadequate range of applicability for health and environmental monitoring provisions;

-- Failure to incorporate recommendations made by the National Transportation Safety Board in its Final Report of the incident.

Click Here for a copy of the letter.

NewsClips - Train Derailments:

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Sen. Casey, Cong. Summer Lee Call For More Oversight Of Rail Bridge Inspections

-- Centre Daily Times: Train Derailment In Philipsburg Leads To Road Closures

-- AP: Some Ohio Residents Can Now Get $25,000 For Injuries From $600 Million Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Settlement

-- Post-Gazette: US Senate Republicans Block Bipartisan Bill Helping 500,000 PA Children, Tax Break For Victims Of Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

[Posted: August 2, 2024]  PA Environment Digest