"State environmental crimes charges have been filed against Norfolk Southern Corp. and a former engineer who was at the helm of a train that derailed in June 2006, state Attorney General Tom Corbett said today.
“The derailment spilled 42,000 gallons of sodium hydroxide waste into the soil, wetlands and waters of two counties in Northwestern Pennsylvania causing millions of dollars in damage and killing thousands of fish.”
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_519148.html
Dave
Thanks for the update. Last year someone posted a thread regarding this wreck.
The article states that he was running 76mph in a zone designated at 15mph. Apparently his medication affected his performance.
It’s often debated, but one thing that does BUG me about this and the media in general is the posting of the person’s address. Legal or not, it’s not right.
If a reporter is going to publish an individuals home address…They should also be required to publish their own home address in the same article. Publishing a persons name and city of residence is perfectly acceptable, publishing a street address is not in my humble opinion.
July 26, 2007
Norfolk Southern Statement on Misdemeanor Charges Filed by Pennsylvania Attorney General and McKean County District Attorney in Connection with June 30, 2006, Derailment and Sodium Hydroxide Release in McKean County
HARRISBURG, PA. - Norfolk Southern acknowledges receipt of three misdemeanor charges filed today by the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the McKean County District Attorney in connection with the June 30, 2006, derailment and sodium hydroxide release in McKean County, Pa. Under certain applicable Pennsylvania environmental and aquatic resource protection statutes, charges may be brought, regardless of fault or intent, when there is a non-permitted discharge of certain materials or a discharge into a stream. These charges will not have a material financial effect on Norfolk Southern, and the company expects to work with the relevant authorities to reach a satisfactory resolution of these charges.
In the year that has passed since the incident, Norfolk Southern has spent nearly $4 million on its environmental response and to restore the area and waterways impacted by the incident. The company’s site restoration activities were completed during the week of June 18.
The areas impacted by the incident have significantly recovered. Numerous fish, including native brook trout, have been observed in the portion of Portage Creek adjacent to and downstream of the derailment site. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission stocked trout in Portage Creek and the Driftwood Branch this past spring in the portions of these streams that historically have been stocked, and recent survey work conducted on the Driftwood Branch documents the presence of large numbers and diverse species of fish.
Following is a summary of the railroad’s response efforts:
–Removed more than 4,600 cubic yards of material containing residual concentrations of sodium hydroxide from the east and west sides of the track and replaced with clean material and