DEP Environmental Justice Office Taking Lead In Developing $8 Million Monsanto PCB Penalty Community Fund As Part Of $100 Million Settlement

On February 21, Fernando Treviño, DEP Special Deputy Secretary for Environmental Justice, said DEP’s Office of Environmental Justice is taking the lead in developing a community fund as part of the $100 million PCB contamination settlement announced last September with Monsanto.

Under the consent agreement with Monsanto, $8 million of the penalty will be used specifically for the communities impacted by the spread of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

He made the comments at the meeting of the DEP Environmental Justice Advisory Board.

“The administration has asked my office to take the lead, developing a community fund for the Monsanto settlement. This is $8 million across Pennsylvania,” said Treviño.  “We're not going to be able to implement the same model as [the] Shell [Petrochemical Plant in Beaver County] because there's different elements in the agreement that we won't be able to apply. 

“But the idea is to take advantage of that experience, take best practices, and implement to some degree what we have learned with Shell,” explained Treviño.

“If we continue to produce this kind of results, the administration has talked to us about continuing to create community funds with different settlements and apply this approach in similar ways.”

Monsanto Penalty Background

On September 12, the Department of Environmental Protection and Fish and Boat Commission announced they secured $100 million through a consent agreement with the Monsanto Company, Solutia INC., and Pharmacia LLC to resolve claims related to their production of products containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which damaged waterways and other natural resources across Pennsylvania.

The $100 million settlement recovers costs that the Commonwealth has incurred because of PCB contamination and will be used for further remediation efforts.

All but the $8 million earmarked for the community fund will be allocated among the agencies that have been responsible for helping to combat PCB pollution in Pennsylvania, including the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Fish and Boat Commission, and Game Commission.  Read more here.

For more information on environmental justice initiatives, visit DEP’s Office of Environmental Justice webpage.

Visit the DEP Environmental Justice Advisory Board webpage for more information on environmental justice initiatives in DEP.  Questions should be directed to Jennifer McLuckie, at jmcluckie@pa.gov  or (717) 772-5633.

Related Articles - Shell Petrochemical Plant:

-- DEP: Shell Petrochemical Plant Pays Additional $2,671,044.75 In Civil Penalties For 12-Month Air Quality Violations After May 2023 Consent Order  [PaEN] 

-- Western PA Residents Comment After A Year Of Shell Petrochemical Plant Operations  [PaEN]

-- DEP Signs Consent Order Including $10 Million In Penalties, Local Payments With Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County To Resolve Air Quality Violations; Plant To Restart May 24  [PaEN]

-- PA Taxpayers To Give $130.9 Million In Tax Credits To Subsidize Shell Petrochemical Plant In Beaver County; Total Expected To Be $1.17 Billion Thru 2042; No Regard For Environmental Compliance Record  [PaEN]

[Posted: February 21, 2024]  PA Environment Digest