Guam’s Superfund Story Unlikely to Win Justices, Lawyers Say (1)

The U.S. Supreme Court may recognize burdening Guam with a $160 million cleanup is unfair, but the justices are unlikely to side with the territory, attorneys said.

Guam and the federal government debated who is liable for a multimillion dollar waste cleanup bill during oral arguments before the court Monday. The parties signed a consent decree under the Clean Water Act in 2004 requiring the territory to stop waste in the formerly Navy-owned Ordot Dump from leaching into adjacent rivers and the Pacific Ocean.

Justice Clarence Thomas pointed out during oral arguments that the parties had already reached a settlement, ...