Glatfelter has entered into a consent decree with the United States Government, the State of Wisconsin, and Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products, under which Glatfelter expects to fully resolve its liability for the Lower Fox River and Green Bay environmental remediation and related Superfund litigation.The consent decree is subject to approval by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, as the company said in the press release received by Lesprom Network.
The Lower Fox River and Green Bay site involves the remediation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the bed of the river, and has been the source of complex, multi-party litigation since 2008.
Under the terms of the settlement, Glatfelter agrees to pay to the United States $20.5 million to resolve all claims for past government cleanup, enforcement, and oversight costs and natural resources damages.Glatfelter will also be responsible for payment of future oversight costs.
In addition, Glatfelter will be primarily responsible to perform the long-term monitoring and maintenance work in certain portions of the site, with Georgia-Pacific performing that work in other portions of the site. Pursuant to a prior consent decree entered into between NCR Corporation, Appvion, Inc., and the governments, NCR Corporation is obligated to complete the remediation work. Glatfelter, along with another prior settling party, cleaned up the upstream portion of the river pursuant to a consent decree entered into in 2004, and has continuing monitoring and maintenance obligations under that consent decree.
Glatfelter has entered into a contract with Foth Infrastructure and Environment to perform the long-term monitoring and maintenance work for which Glatfelter is primarily responsible under this new consent decree, as well as Glatfelter’s earlier consent decree, for a fixed stream of remaining payments totaling $10.9 million over 29 years.
Glatfelter is a leading global supplier of engineered materials.
