Monsanto To Pay DC $52M To Clean Up Anacostia, Potomac Rivers

WASHINGTON, DC — Monsanto has agreed to pay the District $52 million to clean up toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contamination in the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers.

“This settlement holds Monsanto accountable for polluting the District’s environment for decades and requires it to pay to clean up the toxic PCB contamination of our land, wildlife, and waters,” said D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine, in a release. “The Office of the Attorney General will not tolerate companies putting the health of our residents or natural resources at risk, nor will we allow polluters to avoid responsibility for breaking the law.”

This settle comes after the District sued Monsanto in May for making false statements to regulators and the public about the safety of PCBs for nearly 50 years. The agrochemical company manufactured 99 percent of the PCBs used in the U.S, before it was banned in 1979. The cost for cleaning up and restoring the District's natural resources is estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

Monsanto is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bayer AG, which issued the following statement in response to Racine's announcement:

"We believe the resolution of the PCB matters we previously announced on June 24 with D.C., state AGs and municipalities is fair. To be clear, Monsanto legally manufactured PCBs until voluntarily ceasing their production in 1977, two years before the EPA banned its manufacture, and the company never manufactured or disposed of PCBs near or in any D.C. waterways."

The D.C. Office of the Attorney General also announced in May that GenOn Holidings, Inc. was required to pay the District $2.5 million to resolve allegations that its Alexandria power plant illegally discharged oil and other pollutants directly into the Potomac River. The OAG also said the company ignored orders issued by the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment to cease polluting, and was required to pay $2.4 million in civil penalties, $50,000 to improve drinking water, and $50,000 to support training for District government employees in environmental enforcement.

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