Recovery Act Funding Accelerates Bio-Hazard Cleanup

[Guest Dawn Harris-Young]

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 Woolfolk Superfund site near Fort Valley, Ga. The money will accelerate the hazardous waste clean-up already underway at the site. It will also jumpstart the local economy by creating jobs in the Fort Valley 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.”

 

Woolfolk Chemical is a former pesticide formulation facility in an Environmental Justice area of central Georgia. ARRA funds will be used to accelerate completion of the soil cleanup.

 

“These funds will allow EPA to continue its aggressive cleanup at the site,” said Stan Meiburg, EPA Acting Regional Administrator. “As a result, the environment will be made cleaner and safer while providing a much-needed boost to the local economy through the creation of green jobs during cleanup and by returning the site productive use.”

 

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 www.Recovery.gov.

 

For more information on the Woolfolk Superfund Site, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/npl/nplga/wolfokga.htm