NORFOLK, Va., Sept. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) recognizes 58 chemical customers who earned its 2019 Thoroughbred Chemical Safety Award for safely handling products regulated as hazardous materials. These companies safely shipped at least 1,000 carloads – a combined total of more than 284,000 carloads – over Norfolk Southern's rail network without a single incident in 2019.

As common carriers, Norfolk Southern and other U.S. railroads have obligations to provide transportation for companies that manufacture or use hazardous materials in their businesses. Typically, these products move in tank cars owned or leased by customers, who are responsible for maintaining the cars and ensuring that they are properly secured for transit.

Norfolk Southern's Chemical Safety Award is part of a long-standing initiative to promote safe rail-shipping practices in communities the railroad serves. Through a joint commitment to safety, Norfolk Southern and its customers continue to create a safe environment for businesses and communities.

"We greatly appreciate our customers' shared commitment to safety as we work together to deliver the goods that are essential to households and businesses across America," said James A. Squires, Norfolk Southern chairman, president and CEO. "As we navigate the challenges posed by COVID-19, it is more important than ever that we maintain our focus on protecting the health and safety of our families and communities."

Norfolk Southern established the annual chemical award in 1995 to recognize chemical manufacturers and plants who safely handle products that are vital to U.S. consumers and businesses, but also are regulated as hazardous materials.

Norfolk Southern works closely with customers across business lines to enhance the environmental, health, safety, and security performance of chemical transport by rail. As a voluntary participant in the American Chemistry Council's Responsible Care® Partner Program since 1996, Norfolk Southern observes strict standards to identify, reduce, and manage safety risks in chemical transport. In August, Norfolk Southern joined the Operation Clean Sweep Pledge to eliminate plastic pollution, aiming for zero loss of plastic resin into the environment.

Norfolk Southern congratulates the following customers for earning the 2019 Thoroughbred Chemical Safety Award:

Altivia Petrochemicals; American Zinc Recycling Corporation; The Andersons Inc.; Apex Oil; ArcelorMittal USA; Archer Daniels Midland; Ascend Performance Materials Inc.; Aux Sable Quarry/Lafarge; Badger State Ethanol; BASF; Buckeye Partners, L.P.; Bunge;

The Chemours Company; CHS; Cornerstone Chemical; Covestro LLC; Eastman Chemical; Elbow River Marketing Ltd.; Elite Octane; ERCO Worldwide; ExxonMobil Chemical Company; Flint HPB; Green Plains; Hess; Hunt Southland; Husky Energy;

Indorama Ventures; International Group; Irving Oil; Kemira Chemicals Inc.; Louis Dreyfus Commodities; LSB Industries; LyondellBasell; Marathon Petroleum; Markwest Energy; Marquis Energy LLC; Messer LLC; Methanex Corporation;

NGL Energy Partners; NorFalco Sales, Glencore Canada Corporation; Nouryon Chemical; Nutrien LTD; Occidental Chemical; Olin Corporation (Charleston, Tennessee); One Earth Energy;

PBF Energy; Phillips 66; Plains Midstream; Poet Ethanol; PVS Chemical; Reagent Chemical & Research; Renewable Products Marketing; Shell Chemical; Shintech Inc.; TransMontaigne Terminals; United Refining Company; Valero Energy Corporation; and Vantage Corn.

About Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway Company subsidiary operates approximately 19,500 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 is a major transporter of industrial products, including chemicals, agriculture, and metals and construction materials. In addition, the railroad operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a principal carrier of coal, automobiles, and automotive parts.

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SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation