Review of Georgia-Pacific PCB landfill
proposal terminated
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Region 5 has terminated its review of Georgia-Pacific’s proposal
to use its Green Bay landfill for PCB-contaminated sediment that
will be dredged from the Fox River beginning in 2007.
The company requested a suspension of the review
in a letter to EPA acting regional administrator Bharat Mathur.
About 200,000 cubic yards of sediment, which contain over 50 parts
per million of PCBs, is due to be removed from the river.
“While EPA has agreed to terminate its review
of Georgia-Pacific’s proposal, the dredging near the De Pere
Dam remains on schedule for spring 2007,” said Mathur. “We
expect that an alternate proposal for disposal of the higher-level
PCB-contaminated sediment will be forthcoming from responsible parties
NCR and Sunoco-U.S. Mills.”
With the review’s termination, EPA has also
cancelled a 60-day public comment period and a public meeting. Comments
already submitted to r5tsca@epa.gov will be retained by EPA for
future consideration.
A copy of the letter and other information about
the Fox River cleanup effort is at www.epa.gov/sites/foxriver.
In other Fox River news, under a separate agreement
with WTM I and Glatfelter, dredging of PCB-contaminated sediment
in Little Lake Butte des Morts is continuing for a third summer.
About 88,000 cubic yards of the sediment - which is less contaminated
than the material that could have been sent to the Georgia-Pacific
landfill and not regulated for disposal as a PCB waste - was removed
in 2005. Contractors aim to remove about 160,000 cubic yards of
material this summer. |
