Norfolk Southern has been fined $77,640 for violations of the Clean Water Act and other regulations stemming from an Oct. 9, 2019, derailment near Kathleen, Ga., according to a story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The derailment, on a bridge, caused cars to accordion together with some breaking open. As a result, 50 gallons of diesel fuel, 12,000 gallons of tallow oil (animal fat), and 10 tons of malt escaped into Mossy Creek. The tallow oil formed an emulsion on the water surface and along the shoreline.
In the derailment, a natural gas pipeline was also ruptured triggering the release of 2.3 million cubic feet of natural gas into the atmosphere, states the FRA report on the incident. No evacuation was need, but cleanup was delayed until the pipeline could be secured.
Norfolk Southern, under the supervision of the U.S. EPA and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division did clean up the spill at a cost of $872,809.
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