W.R. Grace agrees to $34M bankruptcy deal

Washington -- The U.S. Justice Department said W.R. Grace has agreed to a $34 million bankruptcy settlement for cleanup costs at 32 Superfund sites.

"Bankruptcy is not a safe haven to avoid environmental responsibilities," the Environmental Protection Agency's Catherine McCabe said Thursday in a statement.

"EPA will keep pursuing companies who pollute the environment."

The settlement will be used to reimburse EPA for past costs and to pay for future costs associated with cleaning up at hazardous waste sites in 18 states.

W.R. Grace -- a global supplier of specialty chemicals -- and 61 affiliated companies filed for bankruptcy in April 2001. In March 2003, EPA filed claims against the company to recover past and future cleanup costs, the release said.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.