Judge approves Gov. Christie's $225M settlement with Exxon - STLtoday.com
TRENTON, N. J. (AP) — After originally seeking $8. 9 billion, New Jersey's $225 million settlement with ExxonMobil over dozens of polluted sites is a reasonable compromise considering the substantial legal risks the state faced, a judge ruled... The settlement ending an 11-year legal battle that spanned both Democratic and Republican governors is "fair, reasonable, in the public interest, and consistent with the goals of the Spill Compensation and Control Act," Superior Court Judge... He noted that the settlement is on top of Exxon's responsibility to clean up the sites, which include two oil refineries in Bayonne and Linden and retail gas stations across New Jersey. "This is an important settlement for the citizens of New Jersey and for our environment, one which came about because this administration aggressively pushed the case to trial," Acting Attorney General John Hoffman said. Christie, a Republican running for his party's presidential nomination, has hailed the deal as the nation's second-largest of its kind against a corporate polluter, but the deal has been slammed by environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers who... "Today's decision by the court sadly rubber-stamps the Christie administration's sell-out settlement," said Doug O'Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. Source: www.stltoday.com
