In the lawsuit filed on Thursday, the Department claims that it wants to hold the firm liable for "illegally polluting the nation's waterways and to guarantee it pays the full cost of the environmental remediation."
A days-long fire resulted from the Norfolk Southern train derailing close to the Pennsylvania-Ohio border. The dangerous substances vinyl chloride and butyl acrylate, which are flammable liquids, were present in ten of the fifty railway cars.
Three weeks after the event, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reported that around 44,000 fish had died as a result of the chemicals released. The disaster has been apologized for, and cleanup costs will be covered by, Norfolk Southern, according to CEO Alan Shaw.
Shaw expressed his regret before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works earlier this month, saying, "I'm deeply sorry for the impact this derailment has had on the people of that community." "We're staying there for however long it takes to support East Palestine's growth and recovery."
In an effort to hold the railway company accountable for the environmental harm, the state of Ohio also sued it two weeks ago.
