Suquamish Tribe Wins Settlement for Oil Spill Pollution WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 -- The U.S. Justice Department has announced that a proposed consent decree in United States of America, the State of Washington, and Suquamish Tribe v. Foss Maritime Co., has been lodged with the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. The plaintiffs, who are Trustees for natural resources, alleged that the defendant, Foss Maritime Company, is liable for natural resource damages pursuant to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 resulting from the discharge of oil into Puget Sound on Dec. 30, 2003, from a tank barge owned and operated by the defendant at the Point Wells terminal in Shoreline, Wash. In the consent decree, the defendant has agreed to pay $382,123 to the trustees. This amount will reimburse the rutstees for their natural resource damage assessment costs and finance several restoration projects that will be undertaken to restore the natural resources lost and damaged in the Foss Oil Spill. Comments on the proposed consent decree are due in 30 days. Consent decree http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html Federal Register Notice http://www.newswatchnativeamerica.com/FRNotices/080924.OilPollution.pdf