Whitmer Offers Whopping Taxpayer Bailout to Norfolk Southern, Would Help Pay Fines for Ohio Disaster

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Who’s going to end up paying for the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment? Well, if Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has anything to say about it, part of the money could be coming from you, the taxpayer.

According to a news release from a Republican Michigan state House representative, a $750 million package of state spending on major corporations could include $15 million for Norfolk Southern, the company that operated the train that derailed in the town on the Ohio/Pennsylvania border on Feb. 3.

The derailment caused the spillage of vinyl chloride and other dangerous chemicals — something that prompted a controlled burn-off by environmental officials and has many concerned about the after-effects on the local environment.

It also came after a Feb. 16 Norfolk Southern derailment in Van Buren Township, Michigan — which, according to USA Today, wasn’t carrying any hazardous materials. No injuries were reported in that incident, where 30 cars went off the rails.

In a news release from the office of state Rep. Jim DeSana, the Republican’s office said he “objected to another corporate welfare proposal from the Whitmer administration that includes spending $750 million on infrastructure surrounding a proposed Ford EV battery plant in Marshall.

“Of the funding, up to $15 million could be earmarked to help the troubled Norfolk Southern Railway Company expand its footprint in Michigan.”

“It’s always a bad idea to expect taxpayers to foot the bill for corporate welfare projects – but this proposal is particularly egregious,” DeSana is quoted as saying in the briefing.

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