Recently, the Center for Public Integrity conducted an indepth investigation into Superfund sites listed by the EPA.
Locally, Georgia Pacific Corporation, Oeser Corporation, Swift Creek and Northwest Transformer (2 sites) in Everson have been listed as Superfund sites.
CPI investigators report, "Superfund is desperately short of money to clean up abandoned waste sites, which has created a backlog of sites that continue to menace the environment and, quite often, the health of nearby residents."
Below, I have included links to articles about the investigation for your review. To reach the website, please click the title of this article or here: http://projects.publicintegrity.org/superfund/ The website lists detailed information about former and current Superfund sites and identifies 100 corporations that are identified with 40% of U.S. Superfund sites.
Superfund Articles:
Human Exposure 'Uncontrolled' at 114 Superfund Sites
EPA secrecy about sites' toxic dangers extends even to senators' inquiries WASHINGTON, May 18, 2007 — "Scattered across the country, from New Jersey to California, are 114 toxic waste sites where the federal government has determined that the threat to humans from dangerous and sometimes carcinogenic substances is "not under control." >>
Contaminated, But Still Not Off-Limits
High levels of likely carcinogen found at New Jersey brook that the EPA calls safe for recreational use
WASHINGTON, May 18, 2007 — "For the past eight years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has assured residents of South Plainfield, N.J., that it is safe to swim in Bound Brook, even though the stream runs alongside a Superfund site — the EPA's designation for the country's worst toxic waste sites." >>
EPA diverts money from shared Superfund pool
Little-known change that helps agency meet funding challenges scrutinized
WASHINGTON, May 10, 2007 — "The Environmental Protection Agency has diverted $709 million collected from possible Superfund polluters over the past seven years to special accounts, putting hundreds of millions of dollars out of reach of other Superfund sites waiting for cleanup." >>
Close Connections
EPA pays at least three firms to clean up pollution they may have helped create
WASHINGTON, May 10, 2007 — "At least three companies that the Environmental Protection Agency has linked to hazardous waste sites have landed government contracts to clean up their own sites, according to an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity." >>
Bankrupt Companies Avoid More Than $700 Million in Cleanup Costs
When firms fail, the government collects pennies on the dollar for Superfund site work
WASHINGTON, May 3, 2007 — "Four companies connected by the Environmental Protection Agency to some of America's worst toxic waste sites have escaped more than half a billion dollars in pollution cleanup costs by declaring bankruptcy, potentially passing the tab onto taxpayers." >>
Superfund Today
Massive undertaking to clean up hazardous waste sites has lost both momentum and funding
WASHINGTON, April 26, 2007 — "Communities across America face a daunting threat from hazardous waste sites — some near neighborhoods and schools — 27 years after the federal government launched the landmark Superfund program to wipe out the problem, a Center for Public Integrity investigation has found."
Background Resource Materials from EPA:
Northwest Transformer: Mission/Pole Roads http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/7d19cd587dff1eee8825685f007d56b7/e2384f18eb0c1bba8825685f006e9df1!OpenDocument
Northwest Transformer: Harkness Road http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/7d19cd587dff1eee8825685f007d56b7/30bbdcdaff0a9da088256547005e741d!OpenDocument
Swift Creek site: http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/7d19cd587dff1eee8825685f007d56b7/8b0d044466ea186b882572a6006cc71b!OpenDocument
Georgia Pacific site(s): (multiple sites) ASB, Whatcom Waterway and former G.P. Uplands http://oaspub.epa.gov/enviro/tri_formr_partone.get_details?rpt_year=2001&fac_id=98225GRGPC300WL&ban_flag=Y
Here's how to file a FOIA http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/extaff.nsf/webpage/freedom+of+information+act
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