Moving Forward on the Barrel Fill Clean-up

August 12, 2017
Letter from Marilyn Welker, People for Safe Water:
 
At the end of May we were faced with a "take it or leave it" ultimatum from EPA Region 5. All local leaders and our group agree we must support the Tremont City Barrel Fill cleanup moving forward rather than risk the possibility that nothing would happen with the site for the next 20 years. Therefore, our various local government leaders have been passing resolutions agreeing to US EPA's current plan.
 
The Clark County Commissioners, Springfield City Commissioners, Clark County Combined Health District Board, German Township Trustees, and People for Safe Water have all passed resolutions in support of this modified plan. Our resolution is attached. Additionally, the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce has written a letter of support to the Governor.
 
In our resolution, we also urge Governor Kasich to support US EPA Region 5 proposing the site to the National Priorities List, or NPL. The next step in this process will be delivering the resolutions to Ohio EPA Director Craig Butler. We anticipate that State Rep. Kyle Koehler will do that in the next week or so. Director Butler will then deliver our resolutions of support to Gov. Kasich, and we are hopeful the Governor will then concur with EPA's modified plan 9a and proposing the site to the NPL. The bottom line benefit of the site being on the NPL is the enforcement authority that EPA then holds in working with the corporations who will pay for the site's cleanup and monitoring "in perpetuity".
 
In the larger picture of the future of the Superfund program, an awaited report from the Superfund Task Force appointed by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is very much on our minds. We expect the Task Force will recommend further weakening of EPA's enforcement authority and commitment to engaging affected communities. 
 
Stay with us! We must continue to be fully involved in this process and to advocate for the future of our water and the future of EPA's mission to protect human health and the environment.
 
Onward, Marilyn Welker
 
Email: mwelker@ctcn.net