EPA plans to use $ 1 billion in bipartisan infrastructure law to clear Superfund backlog and speed up clean-up of dozens more Superfund projects

December 17, 2021

LENEXA, KAN. (DEC 17, 2021) – Today, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $ 1 billion investment from bipartisan infrastructure law to initiate the cleanup and phase out the backlog of 49 previously unfunded Superfund sites, including the Valley Park TCE site in Valley Park, Missouri, and the Vienna Wells Site in Vienna, Missouri. Until this historic investment, many of them were part of a backlog of hazardous waste sites awaiting funding.

“This work is just the beginning; with Mmore than one in four Black and Hispanic Americans living within 3 miles of a Superfund site, the EPA strives to serve those left behind ”, noted EPA administrator Michael S. Regan. “About 60% of the sites that will receive funding for new cleanup projects are in historically underserved communities. Communities living near most of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned contamination releases will finally get the protections they deserve. ”

“I am pleased to see that the United States Environmental Protection Agency is prioritizing funding to address soil and groundwater contamination at the Vienna Superfund and Valley Park sites,” Senator said. American Roy Blunt. “Our underground infrastructure is just as important as the infrastructure we traditionally think of above ground. Ensuring communities have a safe and reliable water supply is one of the most important federal investments we can make for the economy and, most importantly, for families living near Superfund sites. I was proud to support the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and look forward to seeing this legislation continue to have an impact in our state.

“With funding through the bipartisan Infrastructure Act, the EPA will be able to accelerate work on these Superfund sites and deliver environmental outcomes for the communities of Vienna and Valley Park, Missouri,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meghan A. McCollister said. “We’re getting our sleeves up and working to speed up cleanups at these sites and make sure everyone lives in a healthy community, no matter where they are and whatever their size. “

Valley Park TCE Superfund Site – Valley Park, Missouri

The Valley Park TCE Superfund site is located in the eastern part of the town of Valley Park, approximately 15 miles southwest of the city of St. Louis, in St. Louis County, Missouri. Wainwright Industries owned and operated a metal stamping and tooling and die shop on the property, located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Benton Street and Third Street, from 1949 to 1979. Part of the process of manufacturing included a solvent degreasing system that used trichlorethylene (TCE) solvents from 1963 to 1970 and perchlorethylene (PCE) from 1970 to 1979. These operations resulted in PCE and TCE contamination in soils and groundwater.

The infrastructure funds will be used to implement a ground remedy at the 02 Valley Technologies Soil business unit, so that the soil is no longer a source of TCE contamination impacting the Valley Park underground aquifer.

Learn more about the Valley Park TCE Superfund site.

Vienna Wells Superfund Site – Vienna, Missouri

The Vienna Wells Superfund site consists of three contaminated public drinking water wells and the source area, a former hat factory. The site property is a 7.9 acre parcel of land that begins at the southeast corner of the intersection of 10th Street and Chestnut Street.

From 1952 to 1996, ownership of the site was owned and operated by two companies, Langenberg Inc. and Top This Inc. The operations of the facility resulted in the contamination of soil and groundwater with volatile organic compounds, primarily perchlorethylene. (PCE).

The infrastructure funds will be used to implement a soil remedy at the site, so that the soil is no longer a source of PCE contamination impacting Vienna’s drinking water supply.

Learn more on the Vienna Wells Superfund website.

The $ 1 billion investment is the first wave of bipartisan infrastructure bill funding of $ 3.5 billion to help clean up polluted Superfund sites in communities. The backlog of previously unfunded sites who will now receive funding are in 24 states and territories and EPA’s 10 regions, including some communities that have been waiting for the cleanup for more than four years.

EPA commits to carry out this work as per President Biden’s proposal Justice40 Initiative by advancing environmental justice and integrating equity considerations into all aspects of the Superfund clean-up process. This will help ensure that the historical and ongoing impacts of contamination on overburdened communities are fully considered and addressed.

Administrator Regan visited the Lower Darby Creek area site in Pennsylvania, one of many sites with work in progress that will receive a boost from historic bipartisan infrastructure law funding. Along with the new construction projects, the infrastructure funds will be used to speed up ongoing work and begin the clean-up of additional Superfund sites at various stages of pre-construction and planning across the country.

These Superfund cleaning projects will make a visible and lasting difference in communities. In one Florida community, residents have advocated for years for the removal of creosote-contaminated soil in their neighborhood. At a New York site, lead contaminated soil will be removed from people’s backyards. At one site in New Mexico, the EPA will attack the source area of ​​a contaminated groundwater plume migrating to a community.

The funds will come to overburden the Superfund program to tackle the problems that contaminated sites have on communities. The EPA is finalizing the clean-up plans and preparing funding mechanisms to start construction work as soon as possible. More information on funding overdue sites and expedited clean-up sites will be available in the coming weeks.

In 1980, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, known as the Superfund, was passed. The new law gave the EPA the authority and the funds to hold polluters accountable for cleaning up the most contaminated sites across the country. When no viable responsible party is found or can afford the cleanup, funds allocated by Congress are used. A tax on the chemical and petroleum industries provided funds to the Superfund trust fund for Superfund clean-ups until 1995. The bipartite infrastructure law restores excise taxes on chemicals and invests $ 3.5 billion additional environmental remediation at Superfund sites, making it one of the most significant investments. in American history to fight legacy pollution that harms the public health of communities and neighborhoods.

The bipartite infrastructure law is a one-time investment in a generation that will create millions of jobs by modernizing our infrastructure, turn the climate crisis into an opportunity, and set us on the path to winning the economic competition for the 21^st century.

For more information and to see a list of the 49 sites that will receive funding for new cleanup projects, please visit the EPA website.

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