Anadarko Petroleum face a clean-up bill of US$5.15 Billion, the largest-ever environmental cleanup bill in the United States.
The money will fund a variety of clean up projects across 2,000 U.S. sites, including US$1Billion earmarked for the Navajo Nation to address radioactive contamination left by Anaradko subsidiary company Kerr-McGee.
Reuters reported today; “Manhattan federal Judge Katherine Forrest approved the deal on Monday over objections from a creditor group in Columbus, Mississippi, where Kerr-McGee operated a wood treatment plant. The group felt the settlement was too low.” The judge is reported to have said “The court is sympathetic to the objectors, whose community is coping with the toxic legacy Kerr-McGee has left in its wake.”
Anadarko are still being pursued for their role in the Gulf of Mexico blow of 2010. In a recent Forbes article: “A U.S. appeals court recently ruled that as the owners of the Macondo well, which blew out in April 2010 causing the worst-ever offshore oil spill incident in the U.S., both BP Plc. and Anadarko Corp. must face penalties […] This could mean billions of dollars in potential liabilities for both companies.The Macondo well blowout and subsequent explosion of the rig on April 20, 2010, killed 11 workers and resulted in millions of barrels of oil being spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. BP was the operator of the well with a 65% stake, while Anadarko held a 25% non-operating stake in the project”.
In a chilling footnote to this story, Anadarko have announced they will continue thier oil exploration in New Zealand and “will resume seismic testing 60km north of Dunedin next year.