The US Justice Department on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Corp over the February 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
The lawsuit filed on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency seeks damages for alleged Clean Water Act violations.
The derailment of 38 cars including 11 carrying hazardous materials led to the release of over 1 million gallons of hazardous materials, Ohio's attorney general has said. The state of Ohio filed a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern earlier this month.
The US lawsuit seeks to hold Norfolk Southern "accountable for unlawfully polluting the nation’s waterways and to ensure it pays the full cost of the environmental cleanup."
Norfolk Southern did not immediately comment.