Lawyers for N.J., Exxon defend controversial pollution settlement in court

Source: The (Bergen) Record


Lawyers for N.J., Exxon defend controversial pollution settlement in court

July 30, 2015, 9:09 AM Last updated: Thursday, July 30, 2015, 5:09 PM

By JAMES M. O'NEILL Staff Writer | The Record

Lawyers for Exxon Mobil and the Christie administration touted the benefits of a controversial $225 million environmental settlement before a state judge on Thursday, trying to counter significant criticism of the deal from environmentalists and Democrats in the Legislature.

The proposed settlement involves money to restore about 1,800 acres of wetlands damaged by pollution from Exxon’s former refineries in Linden and Bayonne. It has come under intense attack because the $225 million is a tiny fraction of the nearly $9 billion the state had originally sought from the oil giant.

Opponents are also appalled that the $225 million covers damages to natural resources at 16 smaller sites, including a Teterboro fuel tank farm, as well as 1,800 gas stations that were not originally part of the case.

“This is a fair and reasonable resolution” after 11 years of litigation, John J. Hoffman, the state’s acting attorney general, told Superior Court Judge Michael Hogan during oral arguments in Mount Holly.



Read more: http://www.northjersey.com/news/lawyers-for-n-j-exxon-defend-controversial-pollution-settlement-in-court-1.1383539

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This was a very controversial "settlement" between the Christie administration and Exxon, basically giving away billions of dollars.

It may belong in GD-P since it involves Christie.