OxyVinyls will pay some in train derailment case

In September, a federal judge approved a $600 million class-action settlement against Norfolk Southern—the freight company responsible for the Feb. 3, 2023, train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio , which released toxic chemicals into the air and local environment. The payment would compensate individuals and businesses affected by the derailment. Norfolk Southern has now reached an agreement with OxyVinyls—the OxyChem affiliate that manufactured the vinyl chloride carried on the train—under which OxyVinyls will contribute to the settlement. The agreement came before an April 23 jury verdict in a federal court in Ohio that Norfolk Southern is fully responsible for paying the $600 million. Norfolk Southern had brought the case to court to try to get OxyVinyls and GATX, which owned some of the train’s railcars, to contribute. Vinyl chloride, a highly flammable carcinogen used for making polyvinyl chloride, was in five of the derailed cars. In a controversial move, authorities