Ohio sues Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern over the train derailment in East Palestine

A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains in February. The Ohio attorney general said Tuesday that the state is suing the railroad. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

Gene J. Puskar / Gene J. Puskar

Ohio filed a lawsuit against Atlanta-based railroad Norfolk Southern to make sure it pays for the cleanup and environmental damage caused by a fiery train derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border last month, the state’s attorney general said Tuesday.

The federal lawsuit also seeks to force the company to pay for groundwater and soil monitoring in the years ahead and economic losses in the village of East Palestine and surrounding areas, said Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

“The fallout from this highly preventable accident is going to reverberate throughout Ohio for many years to come,” Yost said.