W.R. Grace, a chemical manufacturer sued by the federal government to pay for the investigation and clean up of asbestos contamination in Libby, Montana from the company’s vermiculite mines, has agreed to settle the case for $250 million. The settlement–the largest of its kind in the history of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program–will be used to clean up asbestos contamination in Libby. Hundreds of Libby residents have developed asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis from the asbestos contamination, and many have died as a result. According to the government’s allegations, W.R. Grace knew of the asbestos dangers posed by the vermiculite mine by 1976, but continued to operate the mine and nearby processing facility until 1990.
The EPA began cleaning asbestos contamination in Libby in 2000, and sued W.R. Grace and a subsidiary in 2001 under the Superfund Law. A federal district judge ordered the company to pay over $54 million in 2003, but W.R. Grace filed for bankruptcy and never paid it. The settlement resolves the 2003 judgment. W.R. Grace must pay the judgment within 30 days of approval by the bankruptcy court.
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