NORFOLK, Va., May 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) announced today that 49 customers have earned the company's Thoroughbred Chemical Safety Award for 2010 for their safe handling of hazardous chemical products.

The award, presented annually for 15 years, goes to a company or facility that ships more than 1,000 carloads of regulated hazardous material over the railroad's 22-state network without incident for the year. In 2010, 42 corporations and seven plants earned that distinction.

Altogether, these customers safely shipped more than 145,900 carloads of chemical products and goods that are essential to the U.S. economy and consumers, but potentially dangerous if mishandled during shipment. These products include industrial chemicals, petroleum products, biofuels, and sulfur.

"We congratulate these valued customers for their industry-leading performance in chemical safety," said Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman. "With their absolute focus on best safety practices, they demonstrate on a daily basis the value of freight rail as the safest, most reliable, and environmentally friendly way to move chemical products that are vital to American households and the global economy. Our hats are off to these companies and facilities for their commitment to safety and for partnering with us to help make Norfolk Southern the safest Class 1 railroad in North America."

Customers receiving the award for 2010 are:

Airgas Carbonic Inc.

Akzo Nobel Chemicals Inc.

ArcelorMittal USA

Bayer MaterialScience LLC

BP

BioUrja Trading, LLC

Cargill

Chemtrade Logistics Inc.

Didion Milling

E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company

Eastman Chemical Company

Eco-Energy, Inc.

Equistar Chemicals, LP

ERCO Worldwide

Finnchem USA Inc.

Flint Hills Resources LP

Green Plains Renewable Energy, Inc.

Hawkeye Gold

Husky Marketing & Supply Co. plant at Lima, Ohio

INEOS USA LLC

International Commodities Export Corporation

INVISTA S.a.r.l.

Kemira Water Solutions

Koppers Inc.

Lansing Ethanol Services

Linde LLC

Lyondell Chemical Company

Marathon Petroleum Company LP plant at Detroit, Mich.

Marquis Energy

Mitsubishi Gas Chemical America, Inc.

Nucor Corp.

NuStar Marketing LLC

PCS Phosphate plant at White Springs, Fla.

PCS Phosphate plant at Aurora, N.C.

Platinum Ethanol

POET Ethanol Products

PPG Industries, Inc.

The Procter & Gamble Co.

Rhodia Inc.

Silver Eagle Refining Inc.

Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, LLC

Sunbelt Chlor Alkali Partnership

Suncor Energy Inc.

Sunoco, Inc. (R&M) plant at Haverhill, Ohio

Sunoco, Inc. (R&M) plant at Toledo, Ohio

Tennessee Valley Authority

Transmontaigne Product Services Inc.

Valero Marketing & Supply

WRB Refining LLC plant at Roxana, Ill.

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal and industrial products.

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SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation