Puyallup Tribe: Electron Hydro plea ‘doesn’t come close to accountability’
(The Center Square) – The Puyallup Tribe does not think a $1 million guilty plea made by Electron Hydro and its Chief Operating Officer Thom Fischer is enough, given damages caused to the Puyallup River.
Fischer allowed workers to place artificial turf and crumb rubber that contain toxic chemicals into the riverbed in late July 2020, according to Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson. The river was diverted, which ripped the turf’s liner and caused toxic debris to flow for two weeks.
Ferguson’s office recommended a sentence that totals $1 million, which Fischer agreed to on Feb. 27.
The sentence includes a restitution payment of $745,000 toward projects to improve the quality of the Puyallup River and restore salmon habitat. The Puyallup Tribe will work with the Attorney General’s Office to identify projects to utilize the funds. There is also a $255,000 fine that goes to Pierce County.
The Puyallup Tribe is unhappy with the sentence because it “doesn’t come close to accountability,” per a statement. “A token of dollars won’t bring back salmon or habitat.”
The tribe alleges that Electron Hydro has not cleaned up its mess, and Fischer will go back to business as normal by writing a check that amounts to approximately one month’s revenue for the facility when it was operating.
“This is not accountability – this is a mere operating expense for the company,” the Puyallup Tribal Council said in a statement. “The health of our people and the residents of Washington is worth a lot more than that.”
The Attorney General’s Office believes the $1 million would be the largest fine and restitution paid for an environmental crime in Washington state law history, if okayed by Pierce County Superior Court Judge Phillip Sorensen. The County Superior Court judge must still agree to the terms of the plea.
Fischer’s trial was set to begin on Feb.27, in which he would have faced 30 gross misdemeanor charges the attorney general’s office filed in January 2022.
Sorensen set a hearing for May 5 to determine Fischer’s sentence.
