EPA announces cleanup will begin at the Asarco Taylor Springs Superfund site in Illinois as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda
Publilshed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
CHICAGO (February 27, 2024) — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a third and final wave of more than $1 billion for cleanup projects at more than 100 Superfund sites across the country as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. This funding is made possible by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will launch new cleanup projects at 25 Superfund sites, including the Asarco Taylor Springs Superfund site in Taylor Springs, Ill.
“After three rounds of investments, EPA is delivering on President Biden’s full promise to invest in cleaning up America’s most contaminated Superfund sites,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “This final round of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding has made it possible for EPA to initiate clean ups at every single Superfund site where construction work is ready to begin. This is an incredible milestone in our efforts to clean up and protect communities, deliver local jobs, enhance economic activity, and improve people’s lives for years to come.”
“Getting legacy contamination out of communities is at the core of EPA’s mission,” said Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore. “Thanks to the President’s Investing in America agenda, EPA has the resources to clean up these sites much faster than we otherwise could.”
“Alongside Illinois’ rich industrial history lies the sobering reality of polluted sites that pose significant risks to public health and the environment,” said Sen. Dick Durbin. “This federal funding is critical in our mission to restore contaminated sites for the benefit of every Illinois resident and safeguard the surrounding ecosystems.”
“I’m proud to see the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is continuing to support critical projects throughout Illinois, and I’m pleased this Superfund site in Montgomery County, Illinois, will benefit,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth. “Eliminating contaminated sites is an important part of protecting the health of children and families, and it is also a necessary part of helping spur development, job creation and economic growth for affected communities. I’ll keep working to help ensure that all Illinoisans can breathe clean air and live in a safe environment without fear of toxins and pollution.”
“Rehabilitating polluted properties is critical in our efforts to revitalize underserved communities and drive economic growth,” said Rep. Nikki Budzinski. “In Springfield, the Moving Pillsbury Forward project has shown us the promise that Superfund site resources have in transforming neighborhoods that have been left behind for too long. That’s why I’m thrilled to see $1 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law headed to Superfund sites across the country – including a project in Southern Illinois – to ensure that more communities get the attention and remediation that they deserve.”
“Illinois EPA is pleased to see this federal funding being directly applied to the Asarco Superfund site in Taylor Springs, Illinois,” said Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim. “With no required state match, 100 percent of this funding will go directly to remediating this site, which is a win for Illinois residents.”
Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding announced today, cleanup will begin at the Asarco Taylor Springs Superfund site. EPA completed the remedial investigation and feasibility study phase of the Superfund process in 2021 and issued a proposed cleanup plan for public comment in June 2021. Funding will be used to remediate lead- contaminated soil, process residues, and groundwater at the site. For the residential areas, this involves the excavation of contaminated soil and backfilling with clean soil. At the former smelter property, cleanup includes excavation of source materials and lake dams and spillways repair to prevent release of contaminated material and protect aquatic habitat.
In addition to the new cleanup announced, today’s investment supports continued cleanup work at the Ottawa Radiation Areas Superfund site and Matthiessen and Hegeler Zinc Co. Superfund site in Illinois.
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The Ottawa Radiation Areas site includes a total of 16 areas in and around Ottawa that were contaminated with radium. Radioactive-contaminated soils down to 10 feet deep will be excavated and shipped to a disposal facility. Remediation of the last area of contamination will allow EPA to pursue deletion of the site from the National Priority List of Superfund sites and provide for redevelopment in the future.
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The Matthiessen and Hegeler Zinc Co. in La Salle smelted zinc from 1858 through 1961. The additional funding will be used to continue to remediate contaminated soil found in residential yards. The remediation includes excavation and on-site disposal within a containment cell.
Today’s investment is the final wave of funding from the $3.5 billion allocated for Superfund cleanup work in the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. So far, EPA has deployed more than $2 billion for cleanup activities at more than 150 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Thanks to President Biden’s commitment to addressing legacy pollution and improving public health, EPA has been able to provide as much funding for cleanup work in the past two years as it did in the previous five years while delivering on President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
EPA is committed to continuing to carry out this work advancing environmental justice and incorporating equity considerations into all aspects of the Superfund cleanup process. More than one in four Black and Hispanic Americans live within three miles of a Superfund site. These investments are restoring the health and economic vitality of communities that have been exposed to pervasive legacy pollution. Thus far, nearly 80% of the funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has gone to sites in communities with potential environmental justice concerns. Out of the 25 sites to receive funding for new cleanup projects, more than 75% are in communities with potential environmental justice concerns based on data from EJSCREEN.
The historic investment made by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law strengthens every part of the Superfund program, making a dramatic difference in EPA’s ability to tackle threats to human health and the environment. In addition to funding cleanup construction work, the investment is enabling EPA to increase funding for and accelerate essential work needed to prepare sites for construction and to ensure communities are meaningfully involved in the cleanup process. In 2023, EPA continued to fund Superfund pre-construction activities such as remedial investigations, feasibility studies, remedial designs, and community involvement at double pre-Bipartisan Infrastructure Law levels.
In 1980, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERLCA), known as Superfund. The law gave EPA the authority and funds to hold polluters accountable for cleaning up the most contaminated sites across the country. When no viable responsible party is found or cannot afford the cleanup, EPA steps in to address risks to human health and the environment using funds appropriated by Congress, like the funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
To see a list of the 25 sites to receive funding for new cleanup projects, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-sites-new-construction-projects-receive-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-funding
To see highlights from the first two years of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding at Superfund sites, visit EPA’s Cleaning Up Superfund Sites: Highlights of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding website.
For more information about EPA’s Superfund program, visit EPA’s Superfund website.
Read the full article at: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-cleanup-will-begin-asarco-taylor-springs-superfund-site-illinois-part
