- Virginia AG Jason Miyares reached an $80 million settlement with Monsanto Co. to resolve allegations that the company’s distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) caused environmental contamination in the state.
- PCBs are carcinogenic chemical compounds formerly used in industrial and consumer products, which accumulate in natural resources and do not dissolve. Monsanto produced almost all of the country’s PCBs from the 1930s until 1977, and the compounds were banned by federal law in 1979. AG Miyares alleges that PCBs have negatively impacted all aspects of the environment in the state of Virginia.
- The settlement funds will be used for restitution and remediation, which may include drinking and wastewater system improvements, environmental studies, and stream remediation.
- As previously reported, Monsanto has entered into settlement agreements with numerous other state AGs over similar PCB contamination allegations, including New Hampshire, Oregon, and Washington.