A gathering of local elected officials was held near the former Exide battery-recycling plant in Vernon on Friday, where they pushed for the area to be declared a federal Superfund site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This move would allow for funding to be allocated to cleanup efforts and expedite the process.
The plant was closed in 2015 after releasing toxic chemicals, including lead, arsenic, and mercury, into over 10,000 properties in Bell, Boyle Heights, Commerce, Maywood, East Los Angeles, Huntington Park, and Vernon. Although cleanup and remediation efforts have been ongoing for years, they still have yet to address the problem at thousands of properties.
Senator Alex Padilla, D-California, stated, “For decades, Exide dumped lead and hazardous contaminants into these communities without consequence, and it’s clear to me that this community of neighbors, friends, and families has been neglected by just about everyone involved…I’m calling on the EPA to formally designate these impacted neighborhoods as a federal Superfund site to provide critical federal resources and expertise to make sure Southeast Los Angeles can count on a thorough cleanup that prioritizes the health and safety of everyone who lives here.”
Padilla was joined by Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach; Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles; and Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles, who all pushed for the same action.
Although the state Department of Toxic Substances Control made a similar call for action last year, there has been no decision from the EPA. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice allowed Exide to safely shut down the Vernon facility and clean up related contamination, including lead found in the soil of thousands of surrounding homes, as long as they faced no prosecution.
While Exide committed to paying $50 million for cleanup efforts when they closed their plant, a bankruptcy court judge approved a settlement agreement in late 2020 that allowed the company to fully abandon the Vernon facility without further liability. This left the state responsible for remaining cleanup efforts, with roughly half of the contaminated properties still unremediated.
Declaring the area a Superfund site would place it on a National Priority List, opening up the potential for millions of federal dollars to be allocated for cleanup efforts. The Exide plant operated for decades despite continuing environmental violations before finally closing in 2015.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
