Associated Press
SEATTLE — A federal judge in Seattle has finalized a nearly $4 million settlement with three companies over habitat damage caused by mill and manufacturing operations in Everett that date to the early 1900s.
Weyerhaeuser Corp., Jeld-Wen Inc. and Kimberly Clark Corp. have operated pulp and paper mills, machine shops, casket builders and other endeavors in the Port Gardner area near the mouth of the Snohomish River.
The federal government and Washington state filed a complaint against them in U.S. District Court in Seattle in January, on behalf of the Tulalip and Suquamish tribes.
The tribes blame the companies for pollution, including from oil, heavy metals and PCBs, that damaged shellfish beds and other natural resources.
Under the consent decree approved by the court Thursday, the companies did not admit liability for the claims. They agreed to pay $3.95 million for natural resource restoration projects such as preserving wetlands as well as other assessment costs.
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