POLITICS
While Christie Declares $225 Million Settlement with Exxon “Really Good,” He Demands Restoration
Governor Christie of New Jersey is defending a decade long lawsuit that was inspired by the pollution caused by the Exxon Mobil organization.
The Governor, and potential 2016 Presidential candidate, states that the 225 million dollar settlement that was issued by the company, should be “on top of” the responsibility that is rightfully Exxon’s to clean up the polluted environment.
Christie is happy with the settlement, but believes the fight to fix the issue is far from over, after all the company did cause a reported 2.6 billion dollars worth of damage. Christie and other officials are seeking an additional 6.3 billion for what they claim is a “loss of use” for the public on the land that was damaged during the contamination.
According to Yahoo News, the governor commented on the settlement by saying, “They have to fix everything that they polluted up to state standards, and there is no cap on what they have to pay. So, no matter what it cost them to fix what they created, they have to pay, and then on top of that they pay another 225 million for having done the act in the first place.”
Christies believes that the company should fix the problem that they created no matter the price it would cost them. He believes that because they caused the problem the price should not be an issue.
State officials claim that there “has proposed plans to clean up the contamination,” and the state officials will monitor their budget and expenses.
Director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, Jeff Tittel, stated that the company is responsible for cleaning up the damage and “Under New Jersey law, the public has the right to be compensated for the loss of public resources. By settling this case, the governor has violated that public trust.”
Photo by Reuters/Mike Segar