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Corrected News Release: Recovery Act funding to accelerate cleanup, boost economy, create jobs and protect human health at Evansville hazardous waste site

Release Date: 04/15/2009
Contact Information: Mick Hans, 312-353-5050, hans.mick@epa.gov

April 16, 2009

CORRECTION TO U.S. EPA Region 5’s April 15, 2009, News Release No. 09-OPA063 (“RECOVERY ACT FUNDING TO ACCELERATE CLEANUP, BOOST ECONOMY, CREATE JOBS AND PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH AT EVANSVILLE HAZARDOUS WASTE SITE”).

A clarification is necessary in the third paragraph where it states that up to $5 million in Recovery Act funds will be used to clean up contaminated soil at 350 homes. These funds will actually cover the cost of cleanup at approximately 125 homes during the first phase of the project. EPA regrets the error.

The original news release follows:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 09-OPA063

Up to $5 million in Recovery Act funds added to cleanup at Jacobsville Neighborhood Superfund Site

(Chicago, Ill. - April 15, 2009) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced up to $5 million in new funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for the Jacobsville Neighborhood Superfund site in Evansville, Ind. The money will accelerate the hazardous waste cleanup already underway at the site. It will also jumpstart the local economy by creating jobs in the Evansville area. This Recovery Act funding is part of the $600 million that Congress appropriated to the Federal Superfund remedial program.

"EPA has an answer to these challenging economic times," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "Under the Recovery Act, we're getting harmful pollutants and dangerous chemicals out of these communities and putting jobs and investment back in."

These funds will be used to clean up lead- and arsenic-contaminated soil at 350 homes in Evansville's Jacobsville neighborhood.

"This Recovery Act funding will be a real boost for Evansville as we are able to speed up the cleanup of lead and arsenic-contaminated soil in the Jacobsville neighborhood," said Bharat Mathur, acting regional administrator. "The infusion of extra cleanup money will provide real dividends to the community with a cleaner environment and good-paying jobs."

The Federal Superfund program was created in 1980 to clean up uncontrolled hazardous waste sites that pose unacceptable risks to human health and the environment. Superfund sites are often found in industrial areas hardest hit by the recession. Superfund cleanups are major construction projects which employ thousands of workers nationwide. The Superfund program is implementing new or expanded cleanup actions at 50 sites around the country and since it began, the program has completed construction of remedies at more than 1,060 of the 1,596 sites on its National Priorities List.

By starting or speeding up cleanup at Superfund sites, Recovery Act funding is also increasing the speed with which these sites are returned to productive use. When a Superfund site is redeveloped, it can offer significant economic benefits to local communities including future job creation.

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on February 17, 2009, and has directed the Recovery Act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can see how every dollar is being invested at http://www.Recovery.gov .

For more information on the Jacobsville Neighborhood Superfund Site, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/eparecovery/jacobsville.html .

For more information on the Superfund program, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/ .