GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A settlement has been reached between five parties that are part of the lawsuit determining who will pay for the cleanup of the Fox River and Appvion.
The federal and state governments sued several paper companies and municipal sewerage operators in 2010, seeking money to pay for the ongoing removal of PCBs from the Fox River. That work is expected to wrap up in 2018.
Since then, the parties have been litigating in federal court to determine which entities should pay what share of the expected $1 billion tab.
The federal government had previously reached settlements with multiple parties. However, Appvion (formerly Appleton Papers) separately made its own claims against many of those same entities, seeking payments to help defray some of their own cost for the cleanup, according to U.S. Paper attorney Scott Hansen.
During a hearing on Monday, the EPA says five parties which previously settled with the United States and the State of Wisconsin announced a separate settlement of remaining claims brought against them by Appvion, Inc. Those entities are: the City of Appleton, the Neenah-Menasha Sewerage Commission, U.S. Paper Mills Corp., Menasha Corp., and WTM I Company.
Hansen says details of the settlement have not been made public yet, but should be within the next few weeks.
The Appleton City Council scheduled a special meeting for 7 p.m. Wednesday to approve the proposal.
For those five, here are the amounts of the previous settlements with the federal & state governments, according to court documents:
- Appleton: $4,420,000
- Neenah-Menasha Sewage: $4,420,000
- U.S. Paper Mills: $12,495,000
- Menasha Corp.: $11,645,000
- WTM I: $10,370,000
Those entities have exposure under the law because they processed paper or waste water which contained PCBs.
A trial on remaining claims and payment liabilities is scheduled for May 8, 2017.
