FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2004 WWW.USDOJ.GOV ENRD (202) 514-2007 TDD (202) 514-1888 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Justice announced that under a settlement agreement being lodged today at the federal court in Cleveland, five rubber companies will perform the remedy for the Industrial Excess Landfill Superfund Site in Uniontown, Ohio. The settlement also requires the companies to reimburse the government about $18 million in costs incurred by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for work already performed at the site.
The Industrial Excess Landfill (IEL) was used as a dump from 1965 to 1980. A variety of chemical pollutants have been found in the groundwater at and near the site. The settlement will require the settling defendants to enhance the process of natural attenuation of the groundwater contamination through selective planting of trees and other vegetation, and to monitor the groundwater to make sure the contamination continues to decline.
This settlement will protect the public and make those responsible for the pollution bear the burden of the costs associated with completing the needed work, said Thomas L. Sansonetti, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Departments Environment and Natural Resources Division.
A portion of the lawsuit, against other parties the U.S. has alleged are liable for the IEL cleanup, will continue until a settlement is reached or a judgment is entered.
The settling defendants involved in todays action are: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.; Goodyear Aerospace Corp.; Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc.; B.F. Goodrich Co.; and Gencorp, Inc. The suit against these companies had alleged that while the dump was opened, they arranged for disposal of hundreds of thousands of gallons of waste solvent at IEL.
The settlement was lodged today in U.S. District Court in Cleveland. It will take effect after a 30-day public comment period, if the judge approves it. 04-411
Source: US Department of Justice
