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February 9, 2004
Contact: Michael Fiorentino
(215) 567-4004 ext. 238
Krajewski, Rizzo and
Community Leaders Demand Action at Franklin Slag Toxic Waste
Site
Coalition Calls on Bush Administration to Make Polluters
Pay to Clean Up
PHILADELPHIA, PA - Philadelphia
Councilwoman Joan Krajewski and Councilman Frank Rizzo joined
members of the Port Richmond Civic Association, the Bridesburg
Civic Association, the Center for the Celebration of Creation
and Clean Air Council today calling on the Bush administration
to speed cleanup of the nation's most dangerous toxic waste
sites, including the Franklin Slag Pile superfund site in
the Port Richmond neighborhood. Cleanup at these sites is
dragging due to severe funding shortfalls and expiration
of the Superfund "Polluter Pays" tax.
"I was born and raised in this neighborhood
and where I come from, you clean up the mess you made. You
are taught at a very early age, when you make a mess, it's
your responsibility to clean it up-don't pass the buck to
someone else," said Councilwoman Krajewski. "The
people of Bridesburg and Port Richmond will be the ones
who are left with the cleanup expense as well as still having
this slag pile in their community. We're trying to revitalize
our neighborhoods and redevelop our riverfront. Get this
slag pile out of my district and off our riverfront!"
The Superfund law is designed so that
the "polluter pays" to clean up their toxic waste.
When they can be identified, responsible parties pay for
a portion or all of the cleanup costs at a site. A tax levied
on traditionally polluting chemical and oil industries covers
cleanup when no responsible party can be identified, or
the responsible party is unable to pay. Under pressure from
the oil and chemical industries, Congress allowed the tax
on these industries to expire in 1995.
"If a company is unable to clean
up its own mess, it makes more sense to have the industry
pay for it," said Councilman-at-large Frank Rizzo.
"It should be part of the cost of doing business in
an industry that risks pollution-it's fair and it's right."
In the early years of Superfund, only
17% of the program was paid for out of general taxpayer
funds. Taxpayers are now paying 80%, according to a Government
Accounting Office report from July 2003. "Now that
the Superfund trust fund has been emptied, taxpayers will
be forced to pay 100% of the Environmental Protection Agency's
costs for the hazardous waste site program," said Michael
Fiorentino, Senior Attorney with Clean Air Council.
"The 2005 budget released by the
Bush administration last week cut the budget for the EPA
more than 7 percent, and failed to reinstate the 'Polluter
Pays' taxes," said Fiorentino. "At the expense
of water quality programs, they asked for a small increase
in outlays for Superfund, but it's inadequate and the Administration
knows it's unlikely to be agreed to by Congress in any event.
It's time to stop playing politics with Superfund and restore
dedicated funding."
"This toxic waste site is a scar on an otherwise beautiful
community. Having a Superfund site in our backyard prevents
development from occurring at the site, and causes people
unnecessary worry," said Kathy Enggasser of the Port
Richmond Civic Association. "The slag pile needs to
be cleaned up quickly-and at polluter expense. Area residents
aren't responsible for this pollution. We shouldn't have
to pay to clean it up."
"More than a tarp is needed to resolve
this issue, and we are particularly concerned about the
many children in the neighborhoods around here," said
Joy Bergey, Executive Director for the Center for the Celebration
of Creation. "The faith community calls on our Senators
to restore the Trust Fund. How else will justice and restitution
return to this community?"
For fact sheets on "Superfund in
Pennsylvania" and "The Franklin Slag Pile"
visit: http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/superfund.pdf
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