NCD980602163_19820215_Warren County PCB Landfill_SERB C_Statement by Dr Ronald Levine-OCR

STATEMENT BY DR, RONALD LEVINE
STATE HEALTH DIRECTOR
N. C. DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES
FEBRUARY 15, 1982
GOOD MORNING. I 1M DR. RON LEVINE, STATE HEALTH DIRECTOR. I'VE SCHEDULED THIS
PRESS BRIEFING TODAY TO GIVE ALL OF YOU SOME NEW INFORMATION ABOUT ONE OF OUR OLD
' PROBLEMS--THE MANAGEMENT OF HAZARDOUS WASTE IN NORTH CAROLINA.
AS YOU KNOW, THIS STATE RECENTLY IMPLEMENTED A PROGRAM THAT STRICTLY REGULATES
THE HAZARDOUS WASTE GENERATED BY MORE THAN 1400 INDUSTRIES IN NORTH CAROLINA. HOWEVER,
THIS PROGRAM CONTROLS ONLY CURRENT WASTE ACTIVITIES. FOR US TO LOOK AT THE TOTAL
PICTURE, WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSED OF IN THIS
STATE BEFORE OUR PRESENT REGULATIONS TOOK EFFECT. NOW, THANKS TO A NEW FEDERAL LAW,
WE ARE TAKING THE FIRST POSITIVE STEPS TO DETERMINE WHAT EFFECT PAST HAZARDOUS WASTE
ACTIVITY IS HAVING ON OUR ENVIRONMENT TODAY.
WE RECENTLY WERE NOTIFIED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTI©N AGENCY THAT 167 SITES
IN 49 OF OUR COUNTIES !1!.fil!J CONTAIN HAZARDOUS WASTE THAT HAD BEEN STORED, TREATED OR
DISPOSED OF IN THE PAST. THE LOCATIONS OF THESE SITES RANGE FROM THE MOUNTAINS TO THE
COAST, AND INCLUDE INDUSTRIAL PLANTS, MILITARY FACILITIES, MWNICIPAL AND COUNTY LANDFILLS,
AND ABANDONED GARBAGE DUMPS. MANY OF THE SITES HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME,
SOME SINCE 1933.
THE LIST OF SITES WE RECEIVED FROM THE EPA ORIGINATED THROUGH THE COMPREHENSIVE
ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE, COMPENSATION AND LIABILITY ACT OF 1980, COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE
11SUPERFUND11 ACT. THIS FEDERAL LAW REQUIRED ANYONE WHO KNE~J OF PAST HAZARDOUS WASTE
ACTIVITY TO NOTIFY THE EPA, OR FACE THE POSSIBILITY OF STIFF FINES AND UNLIMITED
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LIABILITY. IN LAYMAN'S LANGUAGE, THIS LAW PROVIDES A METHOD FOR UNCOVERING AND
CORRECTING HAZARDOUS WASTE PROBLEMS THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN THE PAST, BEFORE THE PASSAGE
OF ADEQUATE LAWS THAT NOW CONTROL WASTE ACTIVITIES, SIMILAR LISTS WERE COMPILED
FOR ALL THE STATES.
THE EPA LIST IS NEW TO US, BUT SOME OF THE SITES ON THAT LIST ARE NOT. THEY HAVE
RECEIVED WIDE PUBLICITY AS THE RESULT OF HAZARDOUS WASTE"RELATED PROBLEMS. THE STATE
ALREADY HAS INVESTIGATED THESE SITES THOROUGHLY, AND STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO CORRECT
THE PROBLEMS THEY HAVE CREATED.
SOME SITES ON THE LIST EITHER DON 1T CONTAIN HAZARDOUS WASTE, WERE REPORTED BY
MISTAKE, OR ARE LITTLE OR NO THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH OR THE ENVIRONMENT. SO FAR
WE'VE IDENTIFIED MORE THAN 50 SUCH SITES. ONE COMPANY, FOR INSTANCE, NOTIFIED, THE
EPA OF THE DISPOSAL OF CARDBOARD AND WASTE PAPER. THE NOTIFICATION OBVIOUSLY WAS A
MISTAKE, AND THE COMPANY ALREADY HAS REQUESTED THAT ITS NAME BE REMOVED FROM THE
"SUPERFUND11 LIST.
THERE ARE SITES ON THE LIST, HOWEVER, THAT WE EITHER WERE NOT AWARE OF, OR KNOW
LITTLE ABOUT. SOME OF THESE, WE BELIEVE, WILL HAVE TO BE MONITORED TO DETERMINE IF
THEY ARE A POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL THREAT, AND OTHERS MAY HAVE TO BE CLEANED UP. THESE
SITES ARE OUR MAIN CONCERN. OUR PRIORITIES ARE FIRST TO LOOK AT SITES WHERE WE
ALREADY SUSPECT PROBLEMS, THEN TO INVESTIGATE SITES WE NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT.
THE STATE ALREADY HAS CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ALL THE EPA SITES, AND WE PLAN TO BEGIN
IN-DEPTH ON-SITE EVALUATIONS OF THE PROBLEM AREAS IMMEDIATELY. WE WILL DECIDE WHICH
SITES TO INVESTIGATE FIRST BY RANKING ALL THE SITES ACCORDING TO TYPE AND VOLUME OF
WASTE; THE PROBABILITY THAT WASTE MAY MOVE FROM THE SITES INTO THE AIR, GROUNDWATER
OR SURFACE WATER; THE DISTANCE THE SITES ARE FROM POPULATED AREAS; THE POSSIBILITY OF
FIRE OR OTHER SAFETY HAZARDOUS; AND THE LIKELIHOOD THAT SOMEONE MIGHT COME INTO DIRECT
CONTACT WITH THE WASTE MATERIAL.
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OUR ON-SITE EVALUATIONS, WHICH COULD INCLUDE SOIL SAMPLING AND THE MONITORING OF
GROUNDWATER, STREAMS AND AIR, WILL BE HANDLED BY THREE DIFFERENT AGENCIES: THE SOLID
AND HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT BRANCH IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES; THE DIVISION
OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT; AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY.
THE 167 SITES WILL BE GROUPED INTO TWO CATEGORIES, GENERAL AND MILITARY. THE
EPA ALREADY HAS AGREED TO INVESTIGATE ALL 28 FEDERALLY-OWNED! MILITARY SITES, AND ANY
OTHER SITES THAT THE STATE REQUESTS. ALL REMAINING SITES WILL BE HANDLED BY THE TWO
STATE AGENCIES.
THE SOLID AND HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT BRANCH WILL COORDINATE ALL ON-SITE
EVALUATIONS, AND WILL SUPERVISE ANY REMEDIAL ACTION THAT IS NECESSARY AFTER THE
EVALUATIONS ARE COMPLETED. ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE AFTER TODAY SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO
BRYANT HASKINS, WHO WILL SERVE AS SPOKESMAN FOR THIS PROJECT.
AS THE ON-SITE INVESTIGATIONS ARE COMPLETED, WE WILL BE ABLE TO DETERMINE WHICH
SITES WILL BE MONITORED, WHICH ONES SHOULD BE CLEANED UP, AND WHICH ONES WILL REQUIRE
NO FURTHER ANALYSIS.
WHEN REMEDIAL ACTION IS NECESSARY, WE FIRST WILL WORK WITH THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY
TO SEE THAT THE PROPER STEPS ARE TAKEN. IF THIS APPROACH DOESN'T WORK, WE HAVE SEVERAL
OTHER LEGAL OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO US .
ALL OF YOU MUST UNDERSTAND, HOWEVER, THAT CURRENTLY THERE IS NOT ENOUGH FEDERAL
OR STATE MONEY TO CLEAN UP ALL THE PROBLEM SITES. NORTH CAROLINA HAS VERY LITTLE MONEY
ALLOCATED FOR WASTE CLEAN-UP, AND FEDERAL 11SUPERFUND 11 APPROPRIATIONS USUALLY REQUIRE
MATCHING STATE FUNDS. IF THE STATE DETERMINES THAT A SITE IS AN IMMINENT HEALTH
HAZARD--THAT IS IF IT POES A SERIOUS AND IMMEDIATE THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH OR TO
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THE ENVIRONMENT--WE CAN IN SOME CASES GET 100 PERCENT FUNDING FROM THE EPA TO CLEAN
UP THE SITE. BUT IN MOST CASES 11 SUPERFUND 11 MONEY REQUIRES A 10 PERCENT MATCH FROM
THE STATE, AND A GUARANTEE THAT WE WILL PAY THE ENTIRE COST OF MONITORING THE SITE
AFTER CLEAN-UP.
STILL I FEEL CONFIDENT THAT THE STATE CAN WORK WITH THE EPA, AND INDUSTRY IN
NORTH CAROLINA, TO SEE THAT ALL THOSE SITES THAT THREATEN OUR ENVIRONMENT OR THE
HEAL TH OF OUR PEOPLE ARE CLEANED UP AS QUICKLY AS POSS IBLE. WE MUST REALIZE THAT
OUR HAZARDOUS WASTE PROBLEMS DID NOT ORIGINATE OVERNIGHT, BUT HAVE ACCUMULATED OVER
MANY YEARS AS WE HAVE GROWN AND DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIALLY. WE CANNOT REALISTICALLY
EXPECT TO CORRECT ALL THESE PROBLEMS OVERNIGHT.
WE MUST, I THINK, WORK TOGETHER TO ACCOMPLISH THO PRIMARY GOALS. FIRST, WE
MUST SEE TO IT THAT THE POTENTIALLY HARMFUL SITES IN NORTH CAROLINA ARE CLEANED UP.
SECONDLY, WE MUST PROVIDE THE RIGHT TYPES OF WASTE TREATMENT, RECYCLING AND VOLUME
REDUCTION FACI LIT! ES SO THAT ~JE CAN MAKE SURE THE WASTES WE ARE PRODUCING TODAY
DO NOT BECOME A PROBLEM FOR US IN THE FUTURE. IT IS OUR GOAL TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE
WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM FOR NORTH CAROLINA THAT WILL GUARANTEE A SAFE ENVIRONMrnT
FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. THE CLEAN-UP OF OUR OLD WASTE SITES IS AN IMPORTANT PART
OF THIS PROGRAM.
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