By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Exxon Mobil will have to pay the city $105 million in damages for contaminating drinking water wells in Queens, a federal jury decided on Monday.
The oil giant used methyl tertiary butyl ether, a gasoline additive that was outlawed in New York State in 2004.
During the 11-week trial in Manhattan federal court, city attorneys argued the company used the chemical knowing it would contaminate local groundwater. Exxon also turned a blind eye to reports from their own analysts about the environmental effects of the chemical, lawyers for the city argued.
"Now the financial burden of cleaning up contamination to the groundwater system caused by Exxon Mobil will rightly fall to the polluters," Steven Lawitts, acting commissioner of the city's Department of Environmental Protection, said in a statement.
Exxon said it was not responsible for the pollution and should not have to cover the clean-up costs.
"As we've maintained throughout, our service stations were not the source of the MTBE contamination at the Station 6 wells and the City's own principal expert identified three non-ExxonMobil sources," read a statement from ExxonMobil.
Exxon still faces a May 2004 lawsuit brought by Greenpoint residents and Riverkeeper, an advocacy group that works to protect New York State waterways.
The international oil conglomerate operated a refinery in Brooklyn beginning around 1950, from which about 17 million gallons of petroleum seeped into the land and water, according to the complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court.
Riverkeeper attorney Phillip Musegaas, who was not aware of Monday's verdict, said he would not comment on Exxon's practices because of the pending litigation.