Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : U.S., Exxon Ready to Sign Spill Settlement

The U.S. government and Exxon Corp. are set to sign a $1.1-billion settlement of claims over the Exxon Valdez oil spill that likely would include a guilty plea by the company to at least one criminal charge, sources said. However, Exxon reportedly was having second thoughts about the settlement after a federal judge issued an order intended to protect the rights of five native Alaskan villages. The native Alaskans charged that they had been locked out of the negotiations. A settlement would end Alaska’s case against Exxon for civil damages, now pending in a state court, and the federal criminal case, scheduled for trial April 10 in Anchorage. It would not affect the hundreds of private civil lawsuits filed against Exxon.