This post has been adapted from text provided by Daniel Peabody of EGLE in an email to representatives of the CAG:
Part of this settlement is the Natural Resource Damage Counsel— work that is separate from clean-up work and the funds for that group are meant to “compensate the public for the loss of use and enjoyment of their natural resources resulting from the contaminants”, as stated on their website. (See links to documents that discuss the mission and role of the Trustees on the project. Of particular interest are the Injury Assessment and the Restoration Plan, which are separate tabs on the main webpage.)
The big thing to note is that the settlement for the Trustees includes $25 million in restoration money. The Trustees have developed a portal that allows people to submit ideas of projects that could be done within the Kalamazoo River watershed. The portal is open for anyone and any idea could be submitted. The Trustees will evaluate projects that are submitted and decide if they are interested in funding and implementing them.
The Trustees have a meeting scheduled for January 13 at 6:30PM at the Kalamazoo Public Library.
