MIDLAND, PA — Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) announced that his office, in collaboration with Midland municipal government, secured an agreement from Norfolk Southern Railroad to provide an easement on land in Midland, Pennsylvania, adjacent to the Ohio River and a Norfolk Southern rail line. This easement will allow the Beaver County borough to make needed repairs to the century-old stormwater pipes that process the borough’s stormwater and release it into the river.

A critical concern to Midland Borough since May 2022, water leaking from a hole in the terracotta stormwater pipe is eroding the hillside next to the river and is undermining the stability of the riverbank. Federal laws from over a hundred years ago prioritize railroad transportation land use over local and state use, and because the location of the pipe was in Norfolk Southern’s right-of-way, the borough had to obtain a land easement to legally access the pipe for repairs.

Midland Borough first requested the easement from Norfolk Southern in November 2022, but construction stalled for ten months as the railroad refused to move forward on granting the borough the necessary repair permission. Today, Congressman Deluzio shared that his office, along with Midland Borough government, successfully secured this needed land easement from Norfolk Southern Railroad.

“I am proud to have worked with the good people of Midland Borough government to secure this land easement from the railroad to protect the Ohio River, stop concerning hillside erosion, and allow Midland to repair their stormwater management system,” said Rep. Deluzio. “After causing our community so much pain in the wake of their devastating derailment, I will continue to push Norfolk Southern to operate as a strong partner in Western Pennsylvania communities like Midland.”

“Repairing the stormwater pipe and putting a stop to this concerning erosion is really important to our community, but it was stalled for ten months because Norfolk Southern would not grant us the land easement,” said Midland Council President David Trevino. “After such a delay, it is thanks to Congressman Deluzio and his team that we now have the land easement we need from the railroad to move forward on repairs and consequently protect our hillside and the river. We are grateful that Congressman Deluzio worked so hard to make this happen.”