Environmental and natural resources partner Joan Snyder was quoted in Bloomberg Environment in an article titled “Occidental Chemical Seeks to Split $250 Million Cleanup Bill,” published July 2, 2018. (Subscription required.) The article discusses a lawsuit filed in June by Occidental Chemical Corp. to recover on contribution for its estimated $251.5 million of costs and past expenses for cleanup of a portion of the Lower Passaic River Superfund site in New Jersey.
Snyder was asked to opine given her expertise in the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, a similar river sediment superfund site, and in environmental contribution actions. According to Snyder, a lawsuit of this type is typical among companies looking to recover costs at Superfund sites and is pursued as negotiations over cost allocation, ;often in private, or, like this one, in court.