BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- The mercury levels in the Penobscot River is a debate that has been going on for nearly two decades, On Tuesday, the trial over who is responsible for cleaning up the contamination began in District Court in Bangor.
The trial and argument started with from a lawsuit filed by the Maine People's Alliance and Natural Resources Defense Council against Mallinckrodt US LLC, the owner of the former HoltraChem plant in Orrington. In 2000, a judge ordered Mallinckrodt to fund a study that examined the contamination in the river, if nature is cleaning itself, what can be done to fix it, and a plan of action. The trial that began Tuesday will evaluate the results of the study.
Lawyers for the corporation stated they do not agree with all the studies findings. A spokesperson with Mallinckrodt said they spent nearly $20 million on research into mercury levels in the Penobscot River.
Mallinckrodt released this statement, "Mallinckrodt does not believe large scale remediation is necessary; however, the company has developed a proposal for certain limited studies and a proposal for monitoring some wildlife species, including but not limited to, certain fish and birds."
The trial is expected to last several weeks then the judge will decide if he accepts the findings or if he wants it to be modified.
