State Finally Sues Exxon Over Greenpoint Oil Spill

New York State is preparing to sue ExxonMobil and four other companies over the toxic horror known as the Greenpoint Oil Spill and other environmental nightmares around Newtown Creek. There have been a number of suits by environmental groups, residents and local officials, but until this suit threated by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo the state had only had an "agreement" with Exxon about a cleanup. The spill--which is the nation's largest--was "discovered" in 1978. It clocks in at 17 million to 30 million gallons (the Exxon Valdez only dumped 11 million gallons). The spill is thought to be under 55 acres of Greenpoint, but no one is really sure how far the "plume" has spread. Neighbors are apparently reacting with some skepticism about this latest development. Testing last year found benzene vapors, methane gas, etc. in homes. This suit is not to be confused with a new lawsuit over contaminated water that's been dumped into Newtown Creek or these other suits. The suit has not yet been filed, however, and ExxonMobil can still "remedy" violations. You can read the press release from Riverkeeper, which is involved in other suits about the spill and has helped to keep the story in the public eye, by clicking here. The suit would go ahead under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

Significantly, the state also intends to sue to other major contributors to the toxic mess around and in Newtown Creek that have nothing to do with the Greenpoint Oil Spill. They are KeySpan Corp., which is responsible for a former manufactured gas plant, and Phelps Dodge Corp., which operated a now-demolished copper smelting plant. Both facilities left behind their own toxic horrors.