NORFOLK, Va., April 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) has earned the TRANSCAER® (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response) National Achievement Award for 2011. This is the twelfth time - and the tenth consecutive year - that Norfolk Southern has received the award that recognizes extraordinary achievement in support of efforts to prepare communities to respond to a possible hazardous materials transportation incident.

In 2011, Norfolk Southern participated in numerous community outreach efforts under the TRANSCAER program, including: training nearly 5,500 local emergency responders through multiple large-scale events; participating in the first nationwide Anhydrous Ammonia Training Tour, which trained more than 60,000 emergency responders across 37 states in safe handling and distribution of anhydrous ammonia; sponsoring ethanol training with the Renewable Fuels Association; awarding scholarships to emergency responders to attend the Security and Emergency Response Training Center in Pueblo, Co.; participating in full-scale exercises and table-top drills; providing traffic flow studies to emergency planning agencies; and participating on Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs).

Nine NS employees who demonstrated exceptional support of the TRANSCAER program also were recognized with awards. Mike Stiner, hazardous materials compliance officer, Atlanta, received the first TRANSCAER Torch Award in recognition of lifetime achievement. The following employees received individual achievement awards: Stiner; John Casey, engineer environmental operations, Harrisburg, Pa. (also received certificate of appreciation.); Mike Connelly, senior engineer environmental operations, Bellevue, Ohio; David Lefler, engineer environmental operations, Louisville, Ky.; John Lerner, hazardous materials compliance officer, Elkhart, Ind.; Bill Oertly, hazardous materials compliance officer, Roanoke, Va.; Joe Oliver, engineer environmental operations, Knoxville, Tenn.; Paul Williams, hazardous materials compliance officer, Roanoke; Va., and Paul Zottola, senior engineer environmental operations, Pittsburgh, Pa.

"Congratulations on your teamwork and individual contributions to enhance Norfolk Southern's emergency preparedness and the capabilities of local emergency management personnel across our rail network," said David Julian, NS vice president safety and environmental. "Special thanks to Mike Stiner on winning the Torch Award in recognition of 21 years of work to support the TRANSCAER program."

TRANSCAER is a voluntary national outreach effort that focuses on assisting communities to prepare for and respond to a possible hazardous material transportation incident. TRANSCAER members consist of volunteer representatives from the chemical manufacturing, transportation, distributor, and emergency response industries, as well as government.

Norfolk Southern Corporation 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