Gowanus Canal Superfund: EPA Releases List Of 'Notice of Potential Liability' Recipients

photo credit: Brooklyn Public Library 

The Environmental Protection Agency has just released a document revealing the names of companies  that have been sent  notices of potential liability and information request letters as of January 2012.   In addition to the twenty-eight companies that have received such a notice,  New York City, the US Navy, the US Postal Service, the US General Services Administration have also gotten word that they may be Potential Responsible Parties (PRP.)
The list includes such known companies as Amerada Hess Corp., Kraft Foods Global, Inc., ExxonMobil Oil Corp.,Verizon New York Inc. and Honeywell International Inc.
As per the agency's document:

"EPA has taken various other enforcement-related steps related to the Canal. In April 2010, EPA entered into administrative consent orders with New York City and National Grid to provide work in support of EPA’s remedial investigation. In September 2010, EPA entered into a judicial bankruptcy consent decree with Chemtura Corp. under which Chemtura paid EPA $3.9 million to resolve its liability with respect to the Site. Chemtura also agreed to perform cleanups at their former Court Street facilities in Red Hook under the oversight of the NYSDEC." 

The information on PRPs includes the following paragraph:

It should be noted that a notice of potential liability is not a legal determination that a party is in fact responsible, only a warning that EPA believes this may possibly be the case as of the time of the notice. EPA may revise a party’s status as additional information is received. A notice letter is also intended to provide a party with an opportunity to participate in the Superfund process.

To read the entire document on EPA's Region 2 web site, click here.