Superfund Allows Landowners’ Cleanup, Montanans Tell SCOTUS (1)

Federal Superfund law doesn’t stand in the way of Montana landowners’ request for their own cleanup at a contaminated site, the landowners told the Supreme Court in a brief Oct. 15.

About 100 people who own land in Opportunity, Mont., say Atlantic Richfield Co. is responsible for cleaning up smelter waste, including lead and arsenic, deposited on their properties through decades of copper smelting operations. Though the state’s high court allowed the landowners’ case to proceed, Atlantic Richfield asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take a closer look. The Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for Dec. 3.

The ...