W.R Grace Pays U.S. $63 Million in Hazardous Waste Case
As part of its bankruptcy reorganization plan, U.S. speciality chemical producer W.R. Grace has paid the U.S. government more than $63 million to resolve claims for hazardous waste clean-ups at some 39 sites in 21 states, the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said.
The payment includes around $54 million for the EPA. The company agreed to pay an additional $9 million to other U.S. federal agencies, including the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Army.
Grace and 61 affiliated companies filed for bankruptcy in April 2001. In 2003, the EPA filed claims against the chemical producer to recover past and future cleanup costs at sites it said were contaminated by asbestos and other hazardous substances.
The environmental authority said it had negotiated with Grace from April 2008 to February 2013 as part of the bankruptcy proceedings. In a separate settlement in June 2008 the company paid the EPA $250 million for asbestos contamination at the Libby mine in Libby, Montana.
