A group of 24 states is backing Guam's legal bid for the Supreme Court to overturn a key ruling on responsible parties' ability to recoup Superfund cleanup costs from others, with the states warning that the decision would allow the U.S. government "to dodge liability" and put a heavier burden on states to pay for cleanup costs. The 2020 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is rooted in an interpretation of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation & Liability Act (CERCLA) that is "incompatible with the statute's text and purpose," the 24 states, representing both Republican and Democratic-led states, and the District of Columbia and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands say in a March 1 amicus brief in Guam v. United States. The high court granted review of the CERCLA case Jan. 8. The D.C. Circuit's decision on liability under CERCLA, known as the Superfund law, "threatens to discourage cooperation and settlement, sanction the United States' evasion of responsibility, and override State law - all contrary to States' interests," the states say. The states that filed the amicus brief are Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.
展开▼
