Arkansas will receive at least $32 million—and potentially up to $80 million—to settle claims related to environmental contamination caused by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) manufactured by Monsanto Company, Attorney General Tim Griffin announced Friday.
The settlement resolves allegations that PCB chemicals, which were used in industrial applications for decades before being banned in 1979, caused damage to the environment. The funds Arkansas receives will be specifically allocated to improving water quality in the state. State officials noted that the final payment amount depends on the outcome of separate ongoing litigation.
“I am pleased that this case is resolved and that Monsanto is doing right by Arkansans,” Griffin said in a statement. “Although the company stopped manufacturing PCBs in the late 1970s, before the federal government banned them in 1979, Monsanto’s PCBs had been in circulation for nearly half a century.”
PCBs, created as chemical mixtures, were primarily used as coolants and lubricants in electrical equipment for decades. However, the chemicals were found to pose risks to both aquatic life and human health when they contaminated waterways. Monsanto was the sole manufacturer of PCBs in the U.S. from the 1930s until production ceased in the late 1970s.
A request for comment from Bayer, Monsanto’s parent company, was not immediately returned.
Friday’s announcement follows similar PCB-related settlements between Monsanto and other states, including Arizona, Hawaii, and Mississippi. The settlements were facilitated by the Dallas-based law firm Baron & Budd, which has worked on several cases of this nature across the country.
This is part of ongoing efforts by Arkansas to hold companies accountable for contamination that impacts state ecosystems and communities. While the outcome of the related litigation will determine the full financial resolution, state officials emphasized that the settlement represents a significant step toward addressing contamination caused by PCBs in Arkansas waterways.