A U.S. District Court judge in Maine has approved a multi-hundred-million-dollar settlement for cleanup of mercury contamination in the Penobscot River Estuary. The Court’s decision calls for the creation of two independent environmental response trusts to remediate and restore the Penobscot River Estuary. Both trusts have been established and are beginning to plan for this important work. Fact sheets and fourth quarter 2022 progress reports for both trusts are available here.
REMEDIATION
STARTS
HERE
A collaborative, actionable plan for cleanup of mercury in the Penobscot River Estuary.
ENVIRONMENTAL RENEWAL
In October 2022, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine approved a Consent Decree that requires Mallinckrodt US LLC (Mallinckrodt) to pay a minimum of $187 million (and possibly an additional $80 million) to remediate mercury contamination in the Penobscot River Estuary.
The Court’s decision resolved a 22-year-old lawsuit filed by Maine People’s Alliance and the Natural Resources Defense Council against Mallinckrodt and others for discharging mercury into the River. Under the Consent Decree, two trusts have been created to accelerate recovery of Maine’s largest river and provide meaningful and lasting benefit for the surrounding communities and environment.
