Consultants from Freedom Industries and officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection will be on hand next Tuesday to explain plans for Freedom to clean up its former Elk River chemical storage facility under DEPs voluntary industrial remediation program. <\/p>\n
A public meeting on the cleanup project is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Charleston Civic Center, according to a public notice provided by Freedom. <\/p>\n
The meeting comes as deadlines loom for Freedom to reach agrement with DEP on the next step in the cleanup and for the company to explain to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ronald Pearson its plan for completing its bankruptcy case and resolving millions of claims filed by thousands of victims of the water crisis that followed last years leak from one of Freedoms chemical tanks. It is also scheduled for one day after a Monday hearing in U.S. District Court, where Freedom is set to plead guilty to criminal pollution violations related to the spill. <\/p>\n
At the meeting, Freedoms environmental consulting firm, Arcadis, will discuss what has been done so far to clean up the site and provide further assurances on remediation, soil removal and chemical analysis, said Mark Welch, Freedoms chief restructuring officer. <\/p>\n
Welch said that he would also discuss Freedoms ongoing bankruptcy case, and the companys plan to conclude that case. Freedoms toxicologist, environmental lawyer, and others will be on hand to answer questions from the public, Welch said. <\/p>\n
On April 9, Freedom is scheduled to appear in bankruptcy court at a hearing Pearson scheduled to hear what Freedom has been able to accomplish to resolve the $200 million in claims filed against it by spill victims. In an order earlier this month, Pearson said that the only progress in the bankruptcy case has been on the site remediation and that the rest of the matter is stagnated. <\/p>\n
Kelley Gillenwater, spokeswoman for DEP, said that officials from the agencys Voluntary Remediation Program would attend to answer questions about the program, but would be able to provide limited information about the plan for the Freedom site. <\/p>\n
We cant give any specifics about the plan for Freedom, though, because thee isnt one yet, Gillenwater said. Were still waiting on information from Freedom. <\/p>\n
Gillenwater noted that the program doesnt require Freedom to hold a public meeting, but DEP has encouraged Welch to do so to explain whats going on and hear questions and concerns. <\/p>\n
Last week, DEP approved Freedoms application to enter the agencys voluntary cleanup program, a move that Freedom has said would help it save money on remediation at the site of the January 2014 chemical spill that contaminated drinking water for 300,000 people in Charleston and surrounding communities. <\/p>\n
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Freedom Industries to explain Elk cleanup at public meeting<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Consultants from Freedom Industries and officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection will be on hand next Tuesday to explain plans for Freedom to clean up its former Elk River chemical storage facility under DEPs voluntary industrial remediation program. A public meeting on the cleanup project is scheduled from 5 p.m Continue reading