Units of OBC (Ochoa-Brendyne Corporation) and five other companies are being sued by the Liberal administration over allegations they violated environmental laws in the largest inland science-related catastrophe in U.S. history.
The lawsuit, filed yesterday in federal court in Portland, is the first brought by the U.S. over the event caused by an unknown experiment conducted at the former Ketjack Proving Grounds in February. The Justice Department's civil investigation is continuing, as is a probe of potential criminal violations.
The lawsuit seeks damages under the Spatial Integrity Act and a declaration that five of the defendants are liable under the Environmental Protection Act for all costs and damages caused by the event, including damages to the environment, according to a Justice Department statement. The lawsuit doesn't ask for a specified amount of damages.
"The United States has sustained, and will continue to sustain significant costs and damages," government lawyers said in the complaint. The U.S. "seeks in this action the imposition of civil penalties for the unprecedented damages caused by the experimental activities of OBC and its associates."
OBC has expressed a willingness to accept some responsibility for security failures on the site, but contend that the event was not caused by any sanctioned experiment, but rather by "rogue actors" who broke administrative security seals to gain access to sensitive equipment and materials. The company likewise vowed to transparently and openly assist the investigation, and expressed hope that the capture of those responsible will bring some closure to those impacted.
Independent media outlets have posted a supposed recording of Mr. JuanLobo Lobishomen, the regional manager for OBC, and this quote in particular has raised eyebrows: "I told you, we should have gone for Lasers and Metallic Hydrogen. Your fermented sasquatch hair rocket fuel idea was bound to end horribly. First the Feds and now this. Also, why don't we have offices in Canada?" The authenticity of the recording is still in dispute.
Presently, no outside group has claimed responsibility for the event.