Sanders took exception to Snyder's assertion that Exxon officials are "waiting to cut and run" from their obligations at the site, and that, "when they do, all hell is going to break loose." He said the company will not be able to stop its remediation efforts in the Jacksonville neighborhood "until the Maryland Department of the Environment says it is clean" - a process that could take a decade or more.
"You know already that mistakes were made all up and down the line," Sanders said. "But we accept responsibility. There's no one here but us."
Then, going to what he described as the most important part of his presentation, Sanders said the company was "sorry for the leak" and the fact that it persisted "for over 30 days without being discovered." He apologized to the residents of Jacksonville, to the state of Maryland and to the 14-member jury that sat before him, a panel that is likely to spend several months hearing testimony in the case.
