HELENA, Mont., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Atlantic Richfield will pay $50 million for cleanup costs at four Clark Fork Basin Superfund sites in Montana, the Justice Department said Friday.
Under a settlement, the Environmental Protection Agency will receive the $50 million in payments from Atlantic Richfield Co. -- a subsidiary of British Petroleum, commonly known as ARCO -- and another $12 million from the U.S. Judgement Fund, for a total of $62 million.
The consent decree was negotiated to cover EPA cleanup costs in the Clark Fork Basin from the early 1980s until July 31, 2002.
EPA and ARCO have been in litigation over these costs in federal district court for Montana for many years.
As part of the agreement, oil and mining giant ARCO agrees not to assert liability defenses against the United States for reimbursement for the costs it has incurred at the sites or for the conduct of future cleanup actions.
The agreement also settles all of ARCO's counterclaims against several federal agencies which ARCO claims are also liable parties under Superfund.
