SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has reached a $295 million settlement in a lawsuit over its use of chromium.
The litigation against PG&E, which used chromium at three gas compressor stations beginning in the 1950s and into the 1970s, has been ongoing for about a decade. Chromium was found in groundwater wells near PG&E operations, but workers who made the discovery reportedly did not inform appropriate corporate or public officials of their discovery.
"Clearly, this situation should never have happened, and we are sorry that it did," PG&E said over the weekend in a statement. "It is not the way we do business, and we believe it would not happen in our company today. In 1987, when we discovered what had happened, we acted immediately to address the problem."
The utility continues to dispute plaintiffs' claims about the actual health consequences of the chromium leak.
