FILE – This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed Friday night in East Palestine, Ohio are still on fire at mid-day Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. The federal government filed a lawsuit Thursday, March 30, against railroad Norfolk Southern over environmental damage caused by a February derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border that spilled hazardous chemicals into nearby creeks and rivers. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

The federal government has filed a lawsuit against railroad Norfolk Southern over environmental damage caused by a train derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border that spilled hazardous chemicals into nearby creeks and rivers. The U.S. Department of Justice said in the suit filed Thursday that it’s seeking to hold the company accountable for polluting the waterways and to ensure it pays the full cost of the environmental cleanup. The derailment in early February led to the evacuation of about half the village of East Palestine. A message seeking comment on the lawsuit was left with the railroad on Friday.