Attorney General Neronha announces $25 million settlement with Monsanto, Solutia, and Pharmacia for PCB Contamination

Attorney General Neronha announces $25 million settlement with Monsanto, Solutia, and Pharmacia for PCB Contamination

Published on Monday, May 18, 2026

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha today announced a settlement with Monsanto Company, and their affiliates, Solutia Inc. and Pharmacia LLC resolving Rhode Island's claims against these companies for contamination from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), toxic chemicals that polluted Rhode Island's waterways and natural resources.

The settlement guarantees at least $25 million to the State of Rhode Island, with a total potential value of up to $62.5 million, depending on the outcome of related indemnity litigation currently pending between the Monsanto affiliates and PCB purchasers. Funds obtained through the settlement will be dedicated to environmental restoration, remediation of contaminated waterbodies, and protection of Rhode Island's natural resources for future generations. Settlement discussions began after this Office notified the companies of its intent to file a lawsuit to recover the costs of cleaning up the contamination and other damages.

"Today we hold Monsanto accountable for the longstanding harms we allege were caused by its production of PCBs and misleading the public about these toxic chemicals," said Attorney General Neronha. "While the production of PCBs stopped in the 1970s, their lasting effects have endangered Rhode Island's natural resources, as well as public health. Today's $25 million settlement will provide much needed resources to help clean up Rhode Island waters for the benefit of the greater public."

PCBs are toxic industrial chemicals that were widely manufactured and sold for decades before being banned in the United States in 1979. PCBs were found in old electrical equipment, oil used in motors and hydraulic systems, cable insulation, caulking, plastics, oil-based paint, and other materials. Because PCBs do not biodegrade easily, these dangerous chemicals continue to persist in soil, water, and wildlife, and have been detected in bodies of water such as the Woonasquatucket River, the Blackstone River, Mashapaug Pond, and Narragansett Bay. In aquatic and marine ecosystems, PCBs bioaccumulate in animal tissue - including and especially affecting eagles, osprey, herons, and other resident birds, as well as various fish species and mammals throughout the State.

PCBs have been demonstrated to cause cancer and other health problems - including serious impacts to the endocrine, neurologic, and reproductive systems - for Rhode Islanders who consume fish and shellfish contaminated with PCBs.

This pre-litigation settlement resolves Rhode Island's claims that for decades, Monsanto manufactured the vast majority of PCBs sold in the United States while aware that PCBs were dangerous to human health and the environment. Had this matter proceeded to litigation, Rhode Island's complaint would have alleged that Monsanto misled consumers, the public, and government entities about the toxicity of these compounds and their prevalence and persistence in the environment, despite scientific reporting received by the company on the harmful effects of PCBs.

This settlement follows similar resolutions reached by attorneys general in other states to ensure that those responsible for environmental harm-not taxpayers-pay for the cleanup of toxic chemical contamination.

"DEM is grateful to our partners at the Attorney General's Office and outside counsel for their hard work in securing this settlement on behalf of all Rhode Islanders. Although PCB production was banned nationwide nearly five decades ago, Rhode Island communities are still living with the lasting consequences of contamination from these chemicals in our environment," said DEM Director, Terry Gray. "This agreement will help provide the critical resources to enhance our efforts to clean up contaminated sites across Rhode Island, making them safe in our neighborhoods and bringing them back to productive reuse. When PCBs are released into the environment, they pollute our soil and water and impact the food chain for fish and wildlife. The financial burden of these cleanups should rightfully fall on the responsible parties that manufactured them."

RIAG Environmental Enforcement Actions

Enforcement of Rhode Island's environmental protection laws has always been a top priority for Attorney General Neronha. Other environmental efforts include: protecting Providence's Mashapaug Watershed from stormwater runoff; taking on PFAS manufacturers; defending South Providence residents from Rhode Island Recycled Metals mismanagement; suing the City of Woonsocket to stop sewer discharge from entering the Blackstone River; imposing the largest penalty ever assessed for violations of the Clean Air Act; reaching settlements worth nearly $20 million with major gas companies for chemical contamination; and, most recently, announcing an $11 million settlement with Barletta Heavy Construction for dumping contaminated fill in violation of state environmental laws, among other actions. And, last week, the Office filed a lawsuit against Quidnessett Country Club for constructing an illegal seawall on the Narragansett Bay which followed a similar, earlier intervention by the Office which stopped an unlawful Block Island marina expansion.

Additionally, alongside attorneys general across the country, Attorney General Neronha has sued the Trump Administration to protect wind energy, including Revolution Wind, solar energy, electric vehicle infrastructure, and energy and related infrastructure funding, among other actions.

For more information on the Office's environmental advocacy work, please visit our website.

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