Atlantic Research voluntarily cleaned up soil and water contamination caused by residue from burnt rocket fuel, and later sought to recover the costs from the government under a 1980 environmental law.

The government argued that it was only liable if a court had ordered the company to clean up the site, not if it had done the work on its own initiative.

But in a written ruling, all nine Supreme Court justices found that the "Superfund" law was worded broadly enough "as to sweep in virtually all persons likely to incur clean-up costs," including the government.

Atlantic Research had won backing for its case from about 40 US states and the US Conference of Mayors, along with both environmentalists and industry groups unusually allied in a common cause against the government.

Supporters of the case argued that it would take centuries to clean up industrial contamination if in each case, the company implicated had to be forced into action by a court order.

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