Notice is hereby given that on October 26, 2010, a proposed Consent Decree in
Plaintiffs the United States and the Tribe filed a complaint concurrently with the Consent Decree alleging that Defendant Douglas Mining Company is liable pursuant to Section 107(a) of CERCLA for response costs incurred and to be incurred by the United States and for natural resources damages in connection with releases of hazardous substances at or from Operable Unit 3 of the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex Superfund Site (Bunker Hill Site) in northern Idaho. The proposed Consent Decree grants the Defendant a covenant not to sue for response costs, as well as natural resource damages, in connection with the Bunker Hill Site. The Coeur d'Alene Tribe is a co-trustee of injured natural resources at the Bunker Hill Site and a party to the proposed Consent Decree. The settlement is based on an analysis of Defendant's limited ability to pay and requires payments totaling $16,000. The settlement also requires assignment of interest in insurance policies to a trust, for the benefit of EPA and the natural resource trustees, and payment of two percent of net smelter returns generated from any future mining activities.
For thirty (30) days after the date of this publication, the Department of Justice will receive comments relating to the Consent Decree. Comments should be addressed to the Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division, and either e-mailed to
During the comment period, the Consent Decree may be examined on the following Department of Justice Web site: