Georgia-Pacific to pay $10 million for environmental damages

ASHWAUBENON, WISCONSIN - Georgia-Pacific Corp. will give 1,000 acres of land and $10.1 million to pay for environmental damages caused by polluting the Fox River more than three decades ago. <br> <br> The agreement represents ``another major milestone&#39;&#39; in the restoration of fish and wildlife habitat in the Fox River system and in improving the health and abundance of those resources, Natural Resources Secretary Darrell Bazzell said Thursday. <br> <br> Some of the money will pay for 11 recreational projects, including riverfront trails, boat access ramps and picnic areas along the river. It also will help restore habitat for yellow perch, spotted musky and northern pike. <br> <br> Georgia-Pacific is one of seven paper companies liable for wildlife damages from dumping polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, in the Fox River from the 1950s through the 1970s. The chemicals were linked to reproductive and developmental problems in people, fish and wildlife. <br> <br> Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific and its subsidiary, Fort James Operating Co., is the first one to settle its natural resources damage liability with the Natural Resources Trustees of the Lower Fox River, which includes representatives of the DNR, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Oneida and Menominee Indian tribes. <br> <br> ``This is the first of many settlements. There&#39;s going to be lots of activities in the next weeks and months,&#39;&#39; said Bill Hartwig, director of the eight-state Great Lakes region for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. ``We have waited many, many years to get to this point.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The DNR and Environmental Protection Agency also have recommended the companies pay $308 million to dredge polluted sediment from parts of a 39-mile stretch of the Fox River between Little Lake Butte des Morts and the bay of Green Bay. <br> <br> The companies have disagreed with that plan. <br> <br> The DNR hopes to have a final cleanup plan approved later this year, Bazzell said. <br> <br> The land being given to the state is worth $6 million, is located along the west shore of the bay of Green Bay and contains critical and threatened wildlife habitat, Bazzell said. <br> <br> The land transaction will help protect the bald eagle in the area, Hartwig said. <br> <br> The settlement was announced at a news conference conducted just off the Fox River in Ashwaubomay Park, an 84-acre park just south of Green Bay. <br> <br> Rebecca Katers, executive director of the Clean Water Action Council, said she was ``very concerned&#39;&#39; that the settlement with Georgia-Pacific did not contain enough money for the company&#39;s share of the environmental damages. <br> <br> One state study suggested the company&#39;s share should be $73 million, Katers said. <br> <br> Gerry Danforth, chairman of the Oneida Tribe, said the settlement with Georgia-Pacific was a ``significant step forward&#39;&#39; in recovering from the pollution that plagued the Fox River. <br> <br> Added Bazzell, ``They didn&#39;t get a sweetheart deal. Trust me.&#39;&#39;