Administration provides healthcare, opposes environmental cleanup in Camp Lejeune Case
WASHINGTON — President Obama signed a law in 2012 offering health benefits to thousands of former Marines and their families who were exposed decades ago to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
But in a related case headed to the Supreme Court in April that could bolster or block their claims for damages, Obama's Justice Department has argued that the clock has run out
The little-noticed case could have profound implications for victims of hidden contamination at Camp Lejeune and other former industrial sites in states that set deadlines on damage claims. Those lawsuits generally involve "enormous financial stakes — typically in the millions of dollars," according to a petition filed by the electronics manufacturer at the center of the high court case.
It also puts the Obama administration in the awkward position of opposing environmental cleanup and help for veterans — two issues that have been among the president's top priorities.
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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/01/obama-environment-veterans-water-contamination-supreme-court/5426147/