
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 16, 1991                   TAG: 9103160252
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEWARK, N.J.                                LENGTH: Short

EXXON READY TO SETTLE IN EAST COAST OIL SPILL

Fourteen months after the Exxon Corp. spilled 567,000 gallons of oil in the waters between New York and New Jersey, the oil giant is prepared to settle with the two states for the damage, officials said Friday.

By striking a deal with federal, state and municipal agencies, Exxon would avoid costly litigation and possible criminal charges from the spill in the Arthur Kill, which separates Staten Island, N.Y., from New Jersey.

This week, Exxon reached a $1.1 billion settlement with Alaska and the federal government for the Exxon Valdez spill in March 1989.

Details of the Arthur Kill settlement will be announced Wednesday, said Ann Crawford, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Attorney General.

Exxon has agreed to pay between $10 million and $15 million for improvements to New York Harbor, The New York Times reported Friday.

The company is prepared to pay $5 million to buy wetlands on Staten Island, restore marshes along the Arthur Kill and reimburse government agencies for their legal and administrative costs, the Times said.

"It's not a terrible settlement, but it's not enough to punish Exxon or cover the damage done to the Arthur Kill," said Nina Sankovitch, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The New York Harbor Coalition, which consists of five major environmental groups, had requested between $20 million and $25 million for environmental projects, said Andy Willner of the American Littoral Society.

by CNB