Georgia Baxter-Krause

In the last two weeks, two class action lawsuits against the J.H. Baxter company have been reclassified as civil suits. Both filed in the spring of 2021, they stemmed from noxious odors and dioxins from its now-shuttered Eugene plant.

Despite the federal government shutdown, clean-up operations continue at the shuttered J.H. Baxter wood treatment plant in Eugene.

Settlements have been reached in U.S. District Court in Oregon in two class action lawsuits against the J.H. Baxter company.

Wednesday night, about 100 people attended a hearing in Eugene to find out what will happen to the old J.H. Baxter plant now that the facility has been listed on the EPA’s National Priorities List.

A controversial wood treatment plant in Eugene’s Bethel neighborhood is now officially a site warranting millions – if not billions – of dollars in environmental cleanup.

Earlier this year, Georgia Baxter-Krause of wood products company J.H. Baxter pleaded guilty to violating environmental laws, then lying about it to federal regulators. An attorney with a class-action lawsuit says having Baxter-Krause pay fines and serve time helps his case, but restitution for victims still seems far from certain.

The president of the J.H. Baxter wood products company was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Eugene. In January, Georgia Baxter-Krause pleaded guilty to multiple environmental violations and making false statements to federal regulators.

The operator of a now-shuttered wood treatment facility in Eugene has pleaded guilty to multiple charges of breaking clean air and hazardous waste laws, and will pay $1.5 million in criminal penalties.