Proposed Settlement for Superfund Cleanup Process Tittabawassee - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Proposed Settlement for Superfund Cleanup Process Tittabawassee - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Proposed Settlement for Superfund Cleanup Process Tittabawassee River, Saginaw River & Bay Site Saginaw Valley State University November 5, 2009 1 Nov. 5, 2009 Welcome/Introductions Richard Karl Superfund Division Director U.S. EPA

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Proposed Settlement for Superfund Cleanup Process

Tittabawassee River, Saginaw River & Bay Site

Saginaw Valley State University November 5, 2009

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Welcome/Introductions Richard Karl

Superfund Division Director U.S. EPA Region 5

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Tonight’s Agenda

  • Overview of the proposed settlement
  • Highlights from the proposed settlement
  • How the Superfund process fits with the RCRA license
  • Next steps in the settlement process
  • Questions & Answers
  • Oral Comments

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Opening Remarks On The Proposed Settlement Robert Kaplan

Regional Counsel U.S. EPA Region 5

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

The Settlement Process…

  • How we got here
  • Where we are
  • May 26, 2009 EPA Administrator’s Letter

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Achieves Goals And Objectives Of EPA Administrator’s Letter…

  • Proposed settlement is based on the

well-established tools of CERCLA

  • Covers the Tittabawassee River and Saginaw

River, their floodplains, and Saginaw Bay

  • Includes Remedial Investigation, Feasibility

Study and Remedial Design

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Achieves Goals And Objectives Of EPA Administrator’s Letter…

  • Continues efforts to evaluate areas

presenting acute or near-term exposure or transport risks

  • EPA can list the site on the NPL, if necessary
  • Future oversight costs will be paid

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Achieves Goals And Objectives Of EPA Administrator’s Letter…

  • Public comment opportunity provided
  • Proposed settlement does not terminate

RCRA corrective action obligations

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Topics Not Negotiated Include…

  • Cleanup options
  • Cleanup levels

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

What Negotiations Did Include…

  • General provisions, including defining the types of

investigations that need to be done

  • How to use the existing information
  • EPA and MDEQ coordination
  • How to foster consistency in meeting RCRA license and

CERCLA obligations

  • Recovery of costs
  • Legal provisions (including dispute resolution, etc.)
  • Enforcement issues (such as stipulated penalty amounts,

work takeover provisions, etc.)

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Overview Of The Proposed Settlement Wendy Carney

Superfund Program Manager U.S. EPA Region 5

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Superfund Process

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

What Does The Settlement Cover

  • Not restarting the clock … building on

existing data as well as prior and ongoing cleanup activities

  • e Tittabawassee and Saginaw rivers, their

floodplains and Saginaw Bay

  • Remedial investigation and feasibility study

work, as well as design

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Work Required In The Settlement

  • Critical work includes:
  • Addressing high-use properties along the river
  • Addressing movement of highly contaminated bank

soil and sediments

  • Developing comprehensive cleanup options

upstream to downstream

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Proposed Timeline

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

How The Superfund Process Fits With The RCRA License Frank Ruswick

Senior Policy Advisor Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

RCRA Corrective Action Obligations

  • Dow retains obligations under license to

address contamination

  • AOC describes means of integrating federal

CERCLA and state RCRA (license)

  • bligations
  • Proposal to modify state license accordingly

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Integration

  • Work will be conducted under CERCLA

process with EPA in lead role and DEQ in support role

  • Expected to fulfill RCRA (license)
  • bligations via DEQ review and comment

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Integration (cont.)

  • Coordination mechanisms
  • Decision-making responsibilities
  • EPA regional administrator for CERCLA
  • DEQ director for RCRA

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

RCRA License Modification

  • Commitment to propose for public comment

and make reasonable efforts to approve (Appendix E)

  • Specifies license obligations that can be met

through CERCLA process (Appendix H)

  • Incorporates AOC integration process into

license

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

RCRA License Modification (cont.)

  • Specifies process for invoking Dow’s license
  • bligations
  • Approved Saginaw River and Bay SOW is

withdrawn

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Additional Provisions

  • Specific attention to transition from RCRA

to CERCLA oversight (SOW Exhibit A)

  • DEQ retains IRA authority subject to

integration provisions

  • DEQ and EPA roles further described in

SMOA (Appendix B)

  • DEQ retains ability to directly respond to

“new” releases from Dow plant site

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Other Highlights Of The Proposed Settlement Wendy Carney and Frank Ruswick

EPA and MDEQ

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Other Settlement Highlights

  • e community will be able to obtain

technical assistance

  • e Natural Resource Trustees will be

engaged

  • Dow can be required to pay monetary fines
  • Dow needs to provide financial assurance

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Other Settlement Highlights

  • ere are defined processes for resolving

disagreements

  • EPA and MDEQ will be reimbursed for costs

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Next Steps In The Settlement Process Richard Karl

Superfund Division Director U.S. EPA Region 5

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

What Happens Next…

  • Public Comment Encouraged
  • Accepting oral comments tonight
  • Accepting written comments from October 19th

through December 17th

  • EPA and MDEQ will consider comments

received

  • EPA and MDEQ will decide whether to sign

the proposed settlement as is or if negotiations need to be reopened

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

How To Comment

  • is evening
  • Orally
  • Drop off comment forms at the sign-in table
  • By December 17
  • Web site — www.epa.gov/region5/
  • Email — krause.patricia@epa.gov
  • Fax — 312-697-2568
  • Mail — Patricia Krause, U.S. EPA Region 5,

77 W Jackson Blvd. (SI-7J), Chicago, IL 60604

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

For More Information…

  • e proposed settlement is online at

ww.epa.gov/region5/sites/dowchemical/

  • Site repositories at libraries in Midland, Bay

City and Saginaw

  • Visit our community information office in

Saginaw

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Questions & Answers Don de Blasio

Community Involvement Coordinator U.S. EPA Region 5

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

Oral Comments Don de Blasio

Community Involvement Coordinator U.S. EPA Region 5

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

How This Will Work…

  • First come, first served
  • Sign up if you haven’t done so already
  • Limited to 3 minutes
  • EPA and DEQ will not respond
  • Court reporter will record everything
  • State your name and affiliation (if you are

commenting on behalf of an organization)

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

10-Minute Break

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

To Give The Most People A Chance...

  • You must be registered to make oral

comments.

  • You will be called on in the order in which

you registered.

  • Comments are limited to 3 minutes at a time.
  • You may get in line to speak again.

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  • Nov. 5, 2009

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