Monsanto Agrees To Nearly $700 Million Settlement With Oregon Over Decades Of PCB Contamination
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum Thursday announced a historic $698 million dollar settlement with the Monsanto Company for its role in polluting Oregon with PCBs for the past 90 years.
Monsanto was the only manufacturer, seller, and distributor of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). PCBs are toxic compounds formerly used in coolants, electrical equipment (such as fluorescent lighting fixtures), and devices, as well as hydraulic oils. They were also previously used in products, including paint, caulking, and copy paper.
“This is a huge win for our state,” said Rosenblum. “PCBs are still present throughout Oregon — especially in our landfills and riverbeds — and they are exceedingly difficult to remove, because they ‘bioaccumulate’ in fish and wildlife. Cleaning up our state from this horrific environmental degradation will be as costly and time-consuming as it sounds, but this settlement means we now will have resources to help tackle this problem.”
Monsanto is owned by Bayer AG, a massive German pharmaceutical and biotechnology company.
The largest pollution settlement in Oregon history stems from a lawsuit filed by Rosenblum against Monsanto in 2018. The original lawsuit can be found here.
The complaint in the case alleged Monsanto was aware as early as 1937 of the highly toxic nature of PCBs. Even with that knowledge, Oregon asserted, Monsanto continued to produce and promote the compounds for decades — until they were finally banned in 1977. The lawsuit asked for damages for the extensive harm to Oregon from PCB contamination, as well as clean-up costs.
“Monsanto’s toxic legacy unfortunately lives on in our lands, rivers and other waterways – and poses ongoing risks to the health of our people and our environment,” Rosenblum added. “This is all the more reason why this settlement is so vitally important. Oregon and Oregonians will be the better for it.”
The Oregon Department of Justice, which Rosenblum leads, will be working with the Legislature, the Governor, and state agencies to put the funds to use for statewide remediation and clean-up.
“This settlement is a major step in beginning to reverse the harmful effects of PCBs on Oregon’s environment. I’d like to thank the DOJ staff and attorneys who worked diligently to get us to this point. While it will take some time, I am pleased we can now move forward toward a healthier Oregon,” said Gov. Kate Brown.
A copy of the Consent Judgement can be found here.
Monsanto admitted no wrongdoing as part of the settlement agreement.
“The settlement terms reflect the unique challenges and trial procedures in this Oregon venue even though Monsanto voluntarily ceased production of PCBs in 1977 and never manufactured, used or disposed of PCBs in Oregon,” Monsanto’s parent company, Bayer, said in a statement.
Monsanto argued in court that Oregon was wrong in claiming the company was the only source of the state’s PCB contamination. The company said it didn’t manufacture the chemicals in Oregon and the chemicals were also manufactured by other companies after Monsanto stopped producing them.
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