New York State is suing ExxonMobil and four other companies over the toxic horror known as the Greenpoint Oil Spill. There have been a number of suits by environmental groups, residents and local officials, but until today's suit by Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo the state had only had an "agreement" with Exxon about a cleanup. The spill--which is the nation's largest--was "discovered" in 1978. It clocks in at 17 million to 30 million gallons (the Exxon Valdez only dumped 11 million gallons). The spill is thought to be under 55 acres of Greenpoint, but no one is really sure how far the "plume" has spread. Testing last year found benzene vapors, methane gas, etc. in homes. This suit is not to be confused with a new lawsuit over contaminated water that's been dumped into Newtown Creek or these other suits.
· Cuomo to Sue Exxon Over Pollution in Brooklyn [NYT]
· ExxonMobil to Face Lawsuit by New York in Spill [Bloomberg]
· Greenpoint Toxique: Oil Spill Still There, Still in Court [Curbed]
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