The DuPont City Council approved the agreement Tuesday night, the final step to ratifying the settlement that was the product of more than three years of negotiations between mine owner CalPortland, environmental groups and government agencies to avoid costly litigation.
Under the agreement, CalPortland agrees to provide up to $200,000 for development of the restoration plan. Following additional environmental review, the company will apply for permits to mine 142 acres it owns north of the existing mine. If permits are issued, the agreement requires the company to set aside a 45-acre buffer along the Puget Sound shoreline, much larger than what a typical permit would require, plus space for a one-mile public trail.
CalPortland will later apply for permits to mine about 200 acres it leases southeast of its mine. The agreement calls for groundwater monitoring wells and tests to ensure city water supplies aren’t damaged.
The settlement agreement itself doesn’t authorize mining, but sets the conditions under which environmental groups will not challenge the applications.
