The natural resource trustees are comprised of the Wisconsin DNR, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The trustees work together in a cooperative process to determine what is necessary to address natural resource injuries caused by past releases of PCBs into the Lower Fox River and Green Bay area.
Settlement funds held in trust by the council must be used to restore, rehabilitate, replace and/or acquire the equivalent of the natural resources that have been injured. Examples of projects funded by the Council over the last decade include wetland and stream restorations, land protection and acquisition, fisheries projects, and boat launches.
The agencies and Tribes that comprise the Fox River/Green Bay Natural Resource Trustee Council are empowered by Federal law to act on behalf of the public as trustees of natural resources. Legal authorities include:
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (CWA, commonly known as the Clean Water Act)