In 1994 the state and federal governments and the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe sued General Motors and the cities of Saginaw and Bay City for allegedly dumping tons of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), into the Saginaw River. General Motors and the cities of Bay City and Saginaw agreed to a $28.22 million settlement on November 23, 1998, in what resulted from Michigan's largest natural resources lawsuit. At the time, it was considered possibly the second-largest environmental settlement in United States history. Dredging of contaminated silt from the Saginaw River was expected to start in summer of 1999.