(The following appeared on The Virginian-Pilot website on February 15.)
Norfolk Southern Corp. said the U.S. Justice Department might allege the Norfolk-based railroad violated federal environmental laws in a January 2005 derailment and chemical spill in South Carolina that killed nine people.
The railroad said in a regulatory filing Friday it received notice in November from the Justice Department. The agency may seek “civil penalties as well as injunctive relief,” Norfolk Southern said, without elaborating.
Norfolk Southern, the fourth-largest U.S. railroad, said the investigation stems from the discharge of chlorine and oil in the Jan. 6, 2005, derailment in Graniteville, S.C. A chlorine car ruptured, releasing a cloud of gas. The state of South Carolina may join in any federal action, the railroad said. Resolving the claims probably won’t result in a “material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations or liquidity,” Norfolk Southern said.