Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge will receive $1.35 million to fund improvement projects on the refuge a result of an agreement announced today between the U.S. Department of Justice and First Energy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC), owner/operator of the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station near Oak Harbor, in northwest Ohio.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Gregory A. White announced the deferred prosecution agreement during a press conference today in Cleveland. Per terms of the agreement, FENOC admits that the government can prove that its employees knowingly made false representations to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in the course of attempting to persuade the NRC that the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station was safe to operate beyond December 31, 2001. The agreement calls for ENOC to pay more than $23 million in penalties and restitution, and an additional $4.3 million on community relations projects which includes two projects at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.
The refuge, which lies within sight of the Davis-Besse power station near the shore of Lake Erie, will use $800,000 to construct dikes and water control structures that will restore 170 acres of former farm land to a high-quality wetland. The wetland will provide habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds including bald eagles.
The remaining $550,000 will fund improvement projects associated with the refuge’s new Visitor Education Center. Planned improvements include constructing restroom facilities for new trail systems; a four-acre wetland demonstration area; an elevated handicap-accessible boardwalk loop over the wetland demonstration area connecting the Center and the existing trails system; and an outdoor all-weather environmental education classroom.
“ We greatly appreciate the U.S. Attorneys efforts to designate a portion these funds for Ottawa refuge and other community service projects in the vicinity of the power plant,” said Refuge Manager Doug Brewer. “These settlement-funded projects will benefit an array of wildlife that nests and rests on the refuge, and benefit the people who visit the refuge for wildlife-dependent recreation, environmental education and other uses.”
Brewer said The Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Association, a non-profit volunteer organization that supports activities, operations and events on the refuge, will accept the settlement funds from FENOC and manage the funds on behalf of the refuge.
“The deferred prosecution agreement entered today involves a full admission of responsibility by FENOC and include a financial penalty that reflects the revenue that FENOC realized by misleading the NRC and delaying required safety inspections at the Davis-Besse facility,” said Assistant Attorney General Sue Ellen Wooldridge for the Justice Department’s Environmental and Natural Resources Division.
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1961 to preserve habitat for migratory birds. The refuge includes Cedar Point and West Sister refuges in Lake Erie The three refuges together now protect approximately 9,000 acres of habitat and some of the last remnants of the "Great Black Swamp" in the heart of the Lake Erie marshes.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
