Environmental Law
Asbestos Company Agrees to Record Cleanup Payment
Posted Mar 12, 2008, 09:00 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
W.R. Grace & Co. has agreed to pay the government $250 million for the cleanup of asbestos contamination in Libby, Mont., that was linked to illness and deaths of some residents.
The amount is the largest sum ever paid for reimbursement under the federal Superfund program, according to a press release. The asbestos came from the company’s vermiculite mine and processing plant.
More than 200 Libby residents have died from asbestos-related disease, the Missoulian reports.
A bankruptcy judge still has to approve the agreement, report the New York Times and the Associated Press.
The deal does not resolve outstanding criminal charges against the company and its senior corporate officials, who are accused of conspiring to hide asbestos dangers and obstructing justice during the EPA's investigation and cleanup, the Missoulian story says.