NCR Allocates More Funds For Environmental Cleanup

NCR Corp. set aside additional funds to help clean up both the lower Fox River and adjacent bay in Green Bay, Wis., after United States District Court Judge William Griesbach ruled Wednesday that NCR and Appleton Papers Inc. were solely responsible for contaminating the water. Lawyers for the Duluth, Ga.-based ATM manufacturer are studying Griesbach’s ruling and will appeal, according to a Thursday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Appleton and NCR had sought clean-up contributions from 20 other companies with plants located along the Fox River. In the SEC filing, NCR said it will reserve between $100 million to $150 million for the project, an increase from $59 million the manufacturer reserved in the third quarter ended Sept. 30. NCR said it expects to pay the cost for cleaning the waterways through 2019, followed by decades of monitoring, according to the SEC filing. The case concerns the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls or PCB sediments. Congress banned production of PCBs in 1976. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified NCR as a potential responsible party for the cleanup because at one time the manufacturer owned two plants on the Fox River that manufactured carbonless paper cited as the source of PCBs. Businesses use carbonless paper for invoices. NCR sold the factories in 1978 to Appleton Papers Inc. of Appleton, Wis., which manufacturers carbonless paper sold under NCR’s brand.