Court filings show 80% of Norfolk Southern’s profits end up in company execs’ bank accounts

Federal court filings following the February derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train that sparked an environmental emergency in East Palestine, Ohio, revealed that 80 percent of the company’s profits ultimately end up in the bank accounts of Norfolk Southern executives.

The court documents, filed by the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protective Agency in a Cleveland US District Court, reported that 80 percent of the company’s top executives’ pay is dependent on company profits, so the more Norfolk Southern makes, the more the executives get paid. This, according to the filings, give executives reason to shirk safety regulations and under-staff their locomotives in order to increase the company’s bottom line.

The shocking claim is making headlines the same day as another Norfolk Southern train derailed in Pittsburgh on Tuesday morning. That incident reportedly did not result in any injuries or toxic spills. The Pittsburgh incident followed another Norfolk Southern derailment in Jasper, Alabama on Sunday, which did send two crew members to the hospital. The derailment leaked some diesel fuel and engine oil from the train but officials say there is no threat to the environment.

The federal government is seeking damages from Norfolk Southern to cover the cost of the cleanup resulting from the East Palestine derailment, which left residents displaced and suffering an array of medical conditions following the accident.