Over the past few years, the state of Washington has
received $154.6 million in legal settlements from companies that polluted our
environment. So where has this money
gone?
Fearing settlement funds would be siphoned off for
unrelated programs, the Legislature took action. A 2008
law created the Cleanup Settlement Account in the state treasury. This account earns interest; and every two
years, the Legislature provides Ecology with funding for cleanup and
restoration projects.
A new legislative report details what Ecology is
accomplishing with Cleanup Settlement Account funds.
The Asarco
Settlement
In 2009, Asarco settled with the state $188 million for
environmental damage from two smelters, four mines, and a landfill site. A $19 million piece of the settlement paid
taxpayers back for past cleanup costs. The rest went into the Cleanup Settlement
Account. This funding has enabled
Ecology to make major progress in cleaning up the following sites:-
Everett Smelter
- Tacoma Smelter Plume
- Monte Cristo, Golden King (Lovitt), and Van Stone mines
- B&L Woodwaste Landfill
 |
| Drilling crew working on the Lilyblad site in Tacoma |
Other Settlements
and Payments
Lilyblad Petroleum Insurance Settlement – This Port of Tacoma area cleanup site was contaminated with petroleum and other chemicals. Ecology received $800,000 from the owner’s insurance company to clean up soil and groundwater. BNSF Skykomish Natural Resource Damage Settlement – BNSF Railway operations contaminated the town of Skykomish with petroleum and other chemicals, damaging nearby waterways. A $5 million settlement is paying for habitat restoration and water quality projects.
Read more in the 2013 Cleanup Settlement AccountLegislative Report.
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