W.R. Grace Settles Montana Environmental Asbestos Claims for $18.5M

W.R. Grace has offered $18.5 million to settle the last of Montana’s claims for environmental damages caused by the company’s mining operations that spread asbestos throughout the town of Libby and surrounding areas. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte announced the offer on Jan. 10. He said the settlement would resolve the remaining environmental claims in W.R. Grace’s bankruptcy case for the Libby Asbestos Superfund Site in Lincoln County. “After years of negotiation following Grace’s historic damage, Libby and communities in Lincoln County can more fully recover,” Gianforte said in a statement. “I look forward to the positive impact this settlement can bring to the people of Libby and Lincoln County.”  The state plans to use the funds to restore natural resources in the Lincoln County area. The Montana Natural Resource Damage Program would receive $18.5 million plus interest over 10 years.  Grace operated an asbestos-contaminated vermiculite mine in Libby from 1963 to 1990. Nearly 700 Libby residents have died of asbestos-related diseases, according to a 2021 study published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.  The study found a 15-fold increased risk of mesothelioma among Grace employees compared to Libby residents who did not work near the mine. Doctors have diagnosed about 2,400 residents with asbestos-related diseases since the town became contaminated. Settlement Funds Earmarked for Asbestos Dam...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Asbestos Exposure Legal Source Type: news