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U.S. EPA ANNOUNCES $18 MILLION SETTLEMENT FOR OII SUPERFUND SITE

Release Date: 3/20/1996
Contact Information: Paula Bruin U.S. EPA (415) 744-1587 Carol Levitsky, U.S. Attorney's Office (213) 894-6947 Jim Sweeney, Dept. of Justice (202) 514-2008

RELEASED JOINTLY BY THE U.S. EPA, U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, AND DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

     (San Francisco)--The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice today announced that 30 parties have agreed to an $18.7 million settlement for the cleanup of the Operating Industries Inc. (OII) Superfund site, Monterey Park, Calif.

     The consent decree was lodged by U.S. Attorney Nora M. Manella.  The settlement resolves the liability of 30 companies for interim cleanup work at the OII site and for past costs.  Sixteen of these companies had refused to participate in earlier settlements for the site.

     "With this fifth settlement at OII, over $286 million have been dedicated to the cleanup of this site," said Keith Takata, deputy director of U.S. EPA 's hazardous waste management division.  "The polluter pays provision in the Superfund law has allowed U.S. EPA to ensure that hundreds of millions of dollars in cleanup costs for the OII site will be paid by the corporations responsible for the contamination, and not by the taxpayers."

     "This settlement shows how Superfund works for the American people," said Lois J. Schiffer, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.  "It holds responsible parties--even those that have dragged their feet--responsible for cleanup of their mess."

     "This agreement is another milestone in our ongoing efforts to remediate the OII landfill," said U.S. Attorney Manella.  "It's a sterling example of how the Department of Justice, EPA and members of the regulated community can work together to protect our environment."

     OII was placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) in May 1986. The NPL is U.S. EPA's list of hazardous waste sites potentially posing the greatest long-term threat to public health and the environment.

     The 190-acre landfill operated from 1948 through 1984.  During that period the landfill received residential and commercial refuse, industrial wastes, liquid wastes, and a variety of hazardous wastes.  Over 300 million gallons of liquid hazardous wastes, and approximately 38 million cubic yards of refuse, (weighing between 22 and 31 million tons), were disposed of at OII.  

     A copy of the consent decree will be available, along with
other site-related documents, at the following local libraries:

Montebello Regional Library         Bruggemeyer Memorial                           1550 W. Beverly Blvd                 318 S.Ramona Ave.
Montebello, CA 90640                 Monterey Park, CA
                                                94214
                   
                                Holifield Library
                     1060 S. Greenwood Ave.
                     Montebello, CA 90640

     The public can formally comment on the agreement by
submitting written comments to:  Reference:  OII site
                     
                     Assistant Attorney General
                     Environmental Enforcement Section
                     Environment & Natural Resource Division
                     Department of Justice
                     Ben Franklin Station
                     P.O. Box 7611
                     Washington, D.C. 20044

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