Pa. Gov. Shapiro says Norfolk Southern will reimburse state more than $7M

March 6 (UPI) -- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Monday that Norfolk Southern will pay $7.38 million to the state for the Feb. 3 train derailment near its border with Ohio.

Shapiro announced in a statement that he secured a commitment from the rail line to cover the costs after meeting with Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw.

"Norfolk Southern's train derailment has hurt communities in Western Pennsylvania, and to make matters worse, the company's disregard for crisis management best practices injected unnecessary risk into the situation and created confusion for residents and first responders," Shapiro said.

He said the company will reimburse local fire departments in western Pennsylvania $5 million to replace contaminated and damaged equipment, $1 million to a community relief fund, $950,000 to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, $400,000 to the state's health department and 30,000 to the state's emergency management agency.

"Norfolk Southern must do better and the entire cost of this derailment and its impact on the Commonwealth must be picked up by them, not the people of Pennsylvania," said Shapiro. "My administration is doing whatever it takes to help Pennsylvanians impacted by this incident, and I will continue to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for their actions."

Pennsylvania's health department opened a health resource center in Darlington Township in Beaver County for residents of Beaver and Lawrence counties, which received the brunt of the impact in the state, who have health concerns. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture are also providing assistance at the center, the state said.

In the meantime, investigators continue to probe Norfolk Southern's latest derailment on Saturday when 20 cars on a 212-car-long train derailed in southwest Ohio.

Norfolk Southern officials said Sunday that train, which was traveling from Bellville, Ohio, to Birmingham, Ala., was not carrying any toxic chemicals.