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The federal government is suing Norfolk Southern following a February train derailment that led to environmental concerns and evacuations of a rural Ohio town near the Pennsylvania border.
In a lawsuit filed Thursday in federal district court in Ohio, the Department of Justice said it wants the Atlanta-based railroad operator to take responsibility for “unlawfully polluting the nation’s waterways and to ensure it pays the full cost of the environmental cleanup.”
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency, says Norfolk Southern violated parts of the federal Clean Water Act.
The complaint also says the railroad has reduced operating costs by cutting back on inspections, repairs and crew pay.
A company spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Longer trains, fewer workers:Minnesota derailment follows years of railroad cost cutting
The federal lawsuit is the latest attempt to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for the derailment, which upended the lives of East Palestine residents and nearby communities along the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.
