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Norfolk Southern sued by Wayne County resident over toxic materials
After the train derailment in early February in Ohio, some of the toxic materials from the Northern Southern train was shipped to Wayne County - with leaders unaware of it happening. Now a lawsuit has been filed to prevent that from happening again.
CANTON, Mich. (FOX 2) - After the derailment of the Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, the company had to figure out how to clean up the mess - and they chose two sites in Michigan, allegedly without contacting local authorities first. Now they're being sued to prevent it from happening again.
Some toxic soil and liquids from the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio was authorized to be sent to Michigan - and a portion of it is already here. That was even after dire warnings from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.
Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw said the company was going to take care of the life-threatening spill..
"Norfolk Southern will clean the site safely – thoroughly and with urgency," Shaw said.
Some Ohio train derailment toxic materials were sent to Wayne County for disposal
But that clean-up included the company transferring those toxic materials out of state - some to a deep injection well in Romulus and a landfill in Van Buren Township owned by Republic Services, sparking outrage from Wayne County Executive Warren Evans.
"I don't know how you do that without contacting the local officials," he said at the time. "Now they're quietly going to bring that toxic material to Michigan - and dump it in our backyards and possibly put our families in danger?"
The EPA then stepped in to halt the transport and make other arrangements for the disposal. Now, local attorneys are trying to make sure the hazardous waste can't come here again.
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Attorney Michael Jafar said they're seeking an injunction on behalf of a Wayne County resident to keep Norfolk Southern's Ohio mess out of Michigan.
"Not everything in this world is about money. This lawsuit is not about money, we are not asking for damages," Jafar said. "We are doing this case because we feel it is incumbent upon us to do our job to protect the community."