On June 17, 2011, United States Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia (D), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced a provision in the Defense Authorization bill to immediately finalize a report on the hazardous situation at the Qarmat Ali Water Treatment Facility, an installation under the oversight of defense contractor KBR.
Earlier this week, Congress passed a new defense approprations bill. Included is a key amendment designed to promote greater transparency in the government’s dealings with military contractors.
On February 15, 2012, the Houston Press published an extended article about the ongoing litigation by U.S. and British servicemen against KBR for exposure to sodium dichromate (hexavalent chromium) during the Iraq War.
In an important ruling on August 16, 2012, Judge Vanessa D. Gilmore in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas denied KBR’s Motion to Dismiss in the matter brought against KBR by U.S. and British servicemen who suffered from exposure to sodium dichromate while guarding KBR’s Qarmat Ali water treatment plant during the Iraq War.
In more legal maneuvering, KBR reacted to fraud and negligence claims concerning Qarmat Ali water treatment plant by filing a motion for summary judgment. The Honorable Paul Papak denied the motion.