All District residents have the right to enjoy the natural treasures of our great city while living in safe and healthy neighborhoods. OAG will continue to work hard, everyday, to ensure that the law protects that right for everyone.
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco) will pay over $57 million to resolve allegations that it discharged toxic chemicals into the District’s land and waterways for decades, resulting in the persistent toxic pollution of the Anacostia River. Under the terms of the agreement, Pepco must pay $47 million toward cleaning up the Anacostia River and $10 million in penalties. The company also must clean up contamination at its Buzzard Point and Benning Road facilities and investigate the current and historical environmental impacts of the company’s underground, District-wide system of transformer vaults. Additionally, Pepco will pay for the District to oversee this work.
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today joined a bipartisan coalition of 22 Attorneys General in opposing a proposed class action settlement that fails to adequately hold the 3M Company (3M) accountable for contaminating the nation’s drinking water supply. Under the proposed settlement, water providers would withdraw the hundreds of lawsuits they have filed against 3M over its use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — commonly referred to as “PFAS” or toxic “forever chemicals” — in a wide range of consumer products and firefighting foams. PFAS are stable in the environment, resistant to degradation, persistent in soil, and known to leach into groundwater.
Earlier this week, I met with Vice President Kamala Harris, Dr. Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and seven other state AGs at the White House to discuss state and federal efforts to address the opioid crisis—a crisis that has caused immense harm in communities across the country and that demands urgent action.
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced a lawsuit against over 25 chemical companies, including The 3M Company (3M) and DuPont De Nemours, Inc. (DuPont), for manufacturing, marketing, distributing, and selling products containing dangerous PFAS chemicals which now pollute the District’s natural resources.
Statement of Emma Simson, Senior Counsel to the Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today led 11 Attorneys General in calling on the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) – the federal agency responsible for regulating the safety of US consumer products – to address the public health and safety dangers of gas stoves, highlighting the disparate negative impact on children and underserved, lower-income communities.
The Office of Attorney General (OAG) prioritizes protecting the health and safety of District youth. Data and common sense tell us that kids who grow up in a safe and healthy environment are much more likely to be successful in school, to develop the skills to become independent and productive, and much less likely to engage in behavior that is dangerous to themselves and those around them.
Attorney General Karl A. Racine today released a new, comprehensive report highlighting the breadth of work of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) over the past eight years.
Environmental justice is intertwined with racial justice. By filing this lawsuit, we’re standing up for communities of color, who, far too often, bear the brunt of pollution, as they did in this case.
