Norfolk Southern Fined $4m for 2005 Chlorine Spill

A fine of $4m has been imposed on Norfolk Southern Railway Company for a chlorine spill in 2005, which caused the deaths of nine people and resulted in massive environmental damage in South Carolina, USA.

The railway company allegedly violated the Clean Water Act, included in an amended complaint filed in March 2009, according to the US Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency.

Hundreds of people also suffered respiratory distress when the tank car derailed discharging tonnes of chlorine and thousands of gallons of diesel fuel.

Norfolk Southern will also pay $32,500 for failure to immediately notify the National Response Center of the chlorine release.

The agreement includes Norfolk Southern providing an incident command system and environmental training to its employees and replacing 3,000 fish killed by the spill in Langley Pond.

The settlement also includes a supplemental environmental project valued at $100,000 to plant vegetation along the banks of Horse Creek, into which two engines involved in the crash leaked diesel fuel.