Papermaker P.H. Glatfelter has agreed to pay $20.5 million to reimburse past and future EPA costs to clean up PCBs in Fox River sediment in a settlement with the US EPA and the US DOJ.

The settlement requires Glatfelter to assume responsibility for cleanup tasks, as well as the long-term monitoring and maintenance that will continue for years following dredging and a cap installation that is scheduled to be finished this year.

The proposed settlement is in the form of a consent decree that must be approved by the federal judge overseeing the legal proceedings over the Fox River site. If approved, this settlement would end all Superfund litigation over the site.

“EPA’s cleanup of the Fox River has significantly reduced PCB levels in upstream areas,” according to EPA Region 5 Administrator Cathy Stepp. “This settlement will ensure the long-term success of the cleanup and will allow reuse and redevelopment of the area for the benefit of local residents.”

This settlement, lodged with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on Jan. 3, 2019, is subject to a 30-day public comment period from Jan. 31 through March 4. To view the consent decree or to submit a comment, visit DOJ’s website: www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html and click on the case name “U.S., et al. v. NCR, et al.”

For more information on cleanup activities at the Lower Fox River and Green Bay Superfund site, visit the EPA website: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/fox-river.