Public Meeting on Dow Chemical Restoration Settlement to be Held in Saginaw Township

A public hearing will be held Thursday, November 21 in Saginaw Township’s Four Points Sheriton Hotel at 4960 Towne Center Rd. regarding the Dow Chemical Company’s settlement with state, federal and tribal governments over restoration efforts for wildlife and habitats harmed by decades of contamination.

The chemical company is responsible for the release of dioxin and other harmful chemicals which have spread throughout the Saginaw Bay Watershed. The $77 million settlement will be used in Bay, Saginaw, Midland and other nearby counties. A group of trustees consisting of the U.S. Department of Interior, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, the Department of Natural Resources and the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe have drafted a restoration plan describing how the settlement will be used.

The public is invited to the meeting at 7:00 p.m. for information about the plan.

The public may also comment on the Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment as well as on the proposed Consent Decree that outlines the settlement provisions.

Visit the trustees’ Tittabawassee River Natural Resource Damage Assessment webpage to view both documents. In addition, the proposed consent decree will be available on the Department of Justice’s list of proposed consent decrees.

The Department of Justice will publish a Federal Register Notice advising the public of the opportunity to submit comments on the proposed Consent Decree, as well as the Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment. Comments on both documents must be submitted within 45 days of the date of publication of the Federal Register Notice. A copy of the Federal Register Notice will be posted at the Tittabawassee River Natural Resource Damage Assessment webpage.

Comments on the Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment may be submitted to [email protected] or Lisa Williams, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2651 Coolidge Road, Suite 101, East Lansing, MI. 48823.

Comments on the proposed Consent Decree may be submitted to the Department of Justice in accordance with the instructions provided in the Federal Register Notice.

For more information, visit the trustees’ Tittabawassee River Natural Resource Damage Assessment webpage.