Ohio’s East Palestine (AP) Following a catastrophic train crash on the Ohio-Pennsylvania line in 2023, the Village of East Palestine and Norfolk Southern reached a $22 million settlement that resolves all of the village’s claims.
According to the joint announcement placed on the municipality’s website on Monday, the settlement will be utilized for the priorities the community has identified in relation to the incident, but it also acknowledges that Norfolk Southern has already given the village around $13.5 million. Additionally, it restates Norfolk Southern’s $25 million pledge to continue enhancing East Palestine City Park.
Eleven vehicles carrying hazardous chemicals were involved in the derailment of a freight train in the village close to the Pennsylvania state boundary. Residents of the area were evacuated, and days later, officials accidentally released and burned hazardous vinyl chloride from five rail carriages, sending flames and black smoke into the sky out of concern of a potential uncontrolled blast.
According to the statement, Norfolk Southern and the village reached a consensus that the planned regional safety training center in the hamlet is not practical, and construction would not move forward. In addition to agreeing to give the town access to roughly 15 acres (6 hectares) that were purchased for the facility, Norfolk Southern is still dedicated to training first responders in East Palestine at various locations throughout the area.
There are still more outstanding lawsuits. In order to continue their appeal for greater compensation and more details about the pollution, residents contesting Norfolk Southern’s $600 million settlement connected to the crash have requested a judge to reject a judge’s order forcing them to post a $850,000 bail.
Although the arrangement was accepted by a judge in September, the appeal has put about $300 million of the settlement on hold. The residents who are refusing to give up their claims are pleading with the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals to prevent them from having to pay the hefty amount.