$168 million settlement announced

By Justin Post of The Montana Standard - 02/07/2008

Butte-Silver Bow will receive $28.1 million as part of the final settlement of natural resource damage claims for the Upper Clark Fork River Basin.

The Mining City’s share is part of a massive $168 million settlement between the state and federal governments and the Atlantic Richfield Co.

This settles the final three claims in the state’s natural resource damage lawsuit against Arco and also includes Superfund cleanup for the Clark Fork River.

Of the total settlement, the state will get $72.5 million to restore the three sites.

Of that amount: - $28.1 million is allocated to Butte Area One; - $13.2 million to the Smelter Hill Uplands, and - $26.7 million to the Upper Clark Fork River.

In addition to that amount, the state of Montana and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency is receiving about $95 million for the environmental remediation of the Upper Clark Fork River. The deal was lodged in a consent decree filed in U.S. District Court in Butte.

Read Friday’s Montana Standard for more details.