New Jersey has been fighting for years to get the Exxon Mobil Corporation to clean up and pay up after turning more than 1,500 acres of marshes and waterways into toxic wastelands. But, just as a State Superior Court judge was about to rule on the case earlier this year, Gov. Chris Christie’s administration suddenly and unexpectedly agreed to settle with Exxon for 3 cents on the dollar. The agreement, which became public on Monday, allows Exxon to escape with a payment of $225 million, far less than the estimated $8.9 billion the state had originally asked for a decade ago.

There will be no public hearing for this deal, which was negotiated in secret by the state. The public can send comments to New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection until June 5. (Exxon Mobil Bayway Settlement should be in the subject line, with comments going to: ExxonMobilBaywaySettlement@dep.nj.gov).

Anyone who wants cleaner air and water in New Jersey should urge Mr. Christie to reject this obvious sellout. If enough people raise questions, the State Department of Environmental Protection might well have second thoughts. If it does not, it will be up to Judge Michael Hogan to reject this insufficient settlement and demand more from Exxon.

There are plenty of reasons for a better solution. State courts have already found Exxon liable for contaminating a vast area of marshlands and waterways, including “sludge lagoons” and a swamp that is “now mostly covered with a tar” of debris and petroleum products. A bigger settlement should allow for a much more comprehensive cleanup in these and other sites elsewhere in the state. Yet the agreement negotiated by Mr. Christie refers only to “alleged” pollution by Exxon and does not accuse the company of “any wrongdoing or liability.”