Last Updated on March 16, 2023
On Tuesday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that the State of Ohio would be suing Norfolk Southern over an ‘Entirely Avoidable’ Train Derailment. National File previously reported that Norfolk Southern’s largest shareholders include BlackRock, a company with close ties to George Soros and the Chinese Communist Party.
In a press release following the lawsuit’s announcement, Yost outlined his office’s reasoning for bringing the lawsuit. “Ohio shouldn’t have to bear the tremendous financial burden of Norfolk Southern’s glaring negligence. The fallout from this highly preventable incident may continue for years to come, and there’s still so much we don’t know about the long-term effects on our air, water and soil,” Yost said.
Part of Ohio’s lawsuit against Norfolk Southern further details the extent of the damage and long-term environmental impact of the derailment. “Relaeasesfrom at least 39 rail cars have made their way into Sulfur Run, Leslie Run, Bull Creek, North Fork Little Beaver Creek, Little Beaver Creek, the Ohio River and/or some still-unknown Ohio waterways,” reads the report.
A video of Ohio Senator JD Vance went viral after he paid a visit to Bull Creek and showed America how the water in the creek still looked contaminated weeks after the disaster.
Visited a local creek in East Palestine today. These waterways are still very polluted. It’s time for Norfolk Southern to finish the cleanup. Check this video out: pic.twitter.com/4lsHBmrMJj
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) February 16, 2023
The Ohio attorney general went on to say that the derailment “has caused substantial damage to the regional economy of the state of Ohio, its citizens and its businesses. The citizens of the region have been displaced, their lives interrupted and their businesses shuttered.”
Ohio’s lawsuit also attacks Norfolk Southern’s rising accident rates, “which has risen 80% in the past 10 years. At least 20 Norfolk Southern derailments since 2015 have involved chemical discharges” Ohio’s lawsuit read.
Ohio’s lawsuit against Norfolk Southern seeks “A declaratory judgment holding Norfolk Southern responsible, recovery of costs and damages for emergency response, repayment of damages, notably natural resource damages, property damages, and economic harm to the state and its residents, repayment of costs under including present and future costs incurred by the state in responding to the emergency, providing public services, preventing future harm to the environment and public health, restoring natural resources, and abating the nuisance and repayment of court costs” the lawsuit read.
National File previously reported that BlackRock is one of Norfolk Southern’s largest shareholders. BlackRock has strong financial ties to George Soros and the Chinese Communist Party.