Proposed Settlement of $51M Reached in Iowa Industrial Pollution Lawsuit

A proposed settlement of more than $51 million has been reached in a class-action lawsuit over pollution problems at an industrial plant in southeast Iowa.

The Muscatine Journal reports that the settlement with Grain Processing Corp. must still be approved by a court. If approved, the company would be required to pay $45 million into a settlement fund and $6.5 million on pollution controls at the Muscatine plant.

Court documents say a motion seeking preliminary approval of the settlement and setting a fairness hearing will be filed no later than Friday.

Residents filed suit in 2012, alleging Grain Processing failed to control emissions from the wet milling plant, spewing odors, dust and haze onto their land. The Iowa Supreme Court certified it as a class action in May last year.