Four Superfund sites in North Carolina have recently been given funds by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to accelerate the cleanup of hazardous waste and restore the safety of their soil and water.
The funding is part of $1 billion provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to clear the backlog of 49 unfunded Superfund sites and assist other sites across the country, an EPA press release said. In total, the law is providing $3.5 billion to fund cleanups nationwide. This first wave focuses on delivering assistance to sites in underserved communities – some waiting more than four years for remediation.
“This work is just the beginning; with more than 1 in 4 Black and Hispanic Americans living within 3 miles of a Superfund site, EPA is working to serve people that have been left behind,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in the release. “Approximately 60 percent of the sites to receive funding for new cleanup projects are in historically underserved communities. Communities living near many of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination will finally get the protections they deserve.”
The Superfund cleanup sites in North Carolina are ABC One Hour Cleaners in Jacksonville, Hemphill Road TCE in Gastonia, Holcomb Creosote, Co. in Yadkinville, and Ram Leather Care Site in Charlotte, according to the release. The sites suffer from contaminated soil and groundwater and poor waste handling practices.
Nationally, the sites being provided funding encompass 24 states and U.S. territories, the release said.
“We want to make these communities whole again, and residents should feel a sense of peace in the place where they raise their families,” EPA Region 4 Administrator Daniel Blackman said in the release. “EPA is committed to supporting local communities by cleaning up contaminated sites and returning the land to productive use. This infrastructure funding will accelerate cleanups for sites that have languished for far too long while promoting potential redevelopment and economic opportunities.”
