MAINE PUBLIC • August 12, 2022
A federal judge in Maine has given conditional approval to a consent decree in the case brought by environmental groups against the former owners of a chemical plant in Orrington, bringing a decades-long legal battle over mercury pollution in the Penobscot River closer to an end. U.S. District Judge John Woodcock has approved the terms of the consent decree brought by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Maine People's Alliance and Mallinckrodt. Once finalized, the agreement would force Mallinckrodt to provide at least $187 million for clean-up efforts on the Penobscot River, and up to $267 million under certain conditions.