Fines on Evergreen International Shipping Line used as seed money for environmental projects

The Olympian, By John Dodge

"A total of $1.7 million in fines was awarded to 14 Puget Sound projects. 'These projects will help to reverse the loss of critical habitat on the shorelines and estuaries of Puget Sound,' state Department of Ecology Director Jay Manning said. Manning was joined at the wildlife refuge by John McKay, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, to announce the marine conservation grants, which were matched by another $1.3 million in funding from state and federal agencies, nonprofit groups and private donations. The grants grew out of a criminal case settlement with Evergreen International Shipping Line, which pleaded guilty in April 2005 to 24 felony counts, including concealing the deliberate, illegal discharge of waste oil from several of its ships in marine waters across the country, including Puget Sound and the Columbia River."