The railway company that operated the train carrying toxic chemicals and suffered a derailment in February in the US has agreed to pay several million dollars to cover recovery costs, the Pennsylvania governor announced Tuesday.
Josh Shapiro’s office revealed that the Pennsylvania governor met with Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw on Thursday and noted that the company had secured an initial commitment of financial assistance, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
The accident, which took place on February 3, in East Palestine, in the State of Ohio, caused no direct casualties, but caused a fire with a large column of black smoke.
The train that derailed was carrying vinyl chloride, a chemical used in the manufacture of plastic that is considered carcinogenic and highly flammable.
The US Environmental Protection Agency ordered Norfolk Southern to cover the cost of cleaning up the derailment that brought down 38 railcars.
The fire that broke out after the accident prompted the evacuation of the eastern half of Palestine and the surrounding area near the Pennsylvania state line.
Josh Shapiro added that Norfolk Southern will pay $5 million (about 4.68 million euros) to reimburse firefighters for equipment that was contaminated or damaged in the response and $1 million (about 940,000 euros) to Beaver counties and Lawrence, to help business owners and residents whose livelihoods have been affected.
Almost another 1.4 million dollars (about 1.3 million euros) will be given to state agencies that responded to the incident, including for the creation of a health clinic for residents, Shapiro also stressed.
The Pennsylvania governor’s office has also said it will pressure Norfolk Southern to cover any additional costs.
Federal and state officials have repeatedly said that it is safe for evacuees to return to the area and that air tests in the city and hundreds of homes have not detected worrisome levels of pollutants.
However, some residents say they are still suffering from illness almost a month later.
Source: TSF
