Norfolk Southern to host two financial planning workshops for East Palestine residents

The Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC) is hosting two financial planning workshops Saturday, June 22 for East Palestine residents with questions about the financial implications of payments from the class action settlement involving the East Palestine Train Derailment.

This comes as Norfolk Southern also announced Friday that it will examine vent and burn decisions days before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is hold the hearing at East Palestine High School on Tuesday, June 25 to approve the findings of its investigation into the train derailment.

Norfolk Southern agreed to a $600 million settlement to resolve claims surrounding the 2023 train derailment.

The settlement benefits individuals and entities who lived, worked, owned property and/or operated a business within 20 miles of the East Palestine, Ohio derailment site between Feb. 3, 2023, and April 26, 2024.

The workshops will take place at the American Legion on North Walnut Street in East Palestine. The first session will be from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and the second session from noon to 1:00 p.m.

HBKS Wealth Advisors will be facilitating the financial planning workshops. Norfolk Southern has retained HBKS Wealth Advisors to provide independent financial planning advice.

The NSC hosted sessions will be at no cost to attendees. For questions, please call the Family Assistance Center at (800) 230-7049.

NSC will also convene a Vent and Burn Workgroup to integrate key learnings for the betterment of any future scenario where a vent and burn may be necessary. As part of the agreement reached between the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Interior (DOI) and Norfolk Southern following the derailment, the Vent and Burn Workgroup establishes a formal process by which Norfolk Southern may obtain input from key stakeholders on ways to improve coordination and decision-making in any future response to a derailment.