TRENTON – Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin announced today that ExxonMobil has agreed to pay the State $225 million to resolve its liability for damage to the environment and injury to natural resources caused by contamination from its refinery operations in Bayonne and Linden, as well as from company service stations and other facilities located throughout New Jersey.

The proposed settlement, which still must undergo a 30-day public comment period and be approved by a Superior Court Judge, represents the single largest environmental settlement with a corporate defendant in New Jersey history. The settlement, which is the product of aggressive litigation and negotiations by the State spanning multiple administrations, is not final until the judge has approved it and any appeals are resolved. Settlement monies would not be received by the State until, at the earliest, fiscal year 2016; the allocation of these funds will depend upon the appropriations act enacted for that respective fiscal year. The litigation and settlement negotiations, as with all such cases of this magnitude, were conducted by the State Attorney General’s Office working in coordination with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Governor’s Office.