GROUP OF COMPANIES REACHES HISTORIC AGREEMENT WITH UNITED STATES TO HELP RESOLVE LONGSTANDING PASSAIC RIVER SUPERFUND CASE
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Saturday, December 17, 2022
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NEWARK, N.J., Dec. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of more than 80 private and publicly-traded companies, most of whom are members of the so-called "Small Parties Group (SPG)," has reached a landmark agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help fund cleanup of the Lower Passaic River in northern New Jersey, which is part of one of the largest and most contaminated Superfund sites in the country.
Key Points:
- The SPG is comprised of parties that the U.S. alleges are minor contributors of contaminants to the Lower Passaic River.
- For decades, Occidental's corporate predecessors Diamond Alkali and Diamond Shamrock treated the Passaic River as their own personal sewer.
- EPA has attributed virtually all of the 2,3,7,8-TCDD present in Lower Passaic River sediments to Diamond's former operations at the Lister Avenue facility.
- This painstaking process was designed to characterize the nature and extent of Passaic River contamination, allocate responsibility, and devise a path toward remediation.