A federal jury in Manhattan has found Exxon Mobil liable for contaminating New York City’s groundwater with a gasoline additive and has awarded the city $105 million.
The city sued Exxon Mobil in 2004 for $300 million in damages to its Jamaica, Queens-based groundwater that petroleum refiners allegedly caused by using the gasoline additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) in their product. It argued the oil company ignored warnings from its own scientists and engineers not to use the additive, which allows gas to burn more cleanly, in areas that use groundwater for drinking water. New York state banned the use of MTBE in 2004.
