Lockheed Martin Corporation v. United States

PILLARD, Circuit Judge:

The United States appeals its liability under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) for a portion of the cost of cleaning up hazardous substances at three California facilities owned by Lockheed Martin (Lockheed or the Company). The government’s involvement at the facilities dates to the Cold War, when the Department of Defense contracted with Lockheed to build state-of-the-art, solid-propellant rockets. Lockheed’s production of those rockets severely contaminated the sites, with the contamination migrating into groundwater…