BEP backs HoltraChem compromise
The former owner of the old HoltraChem factory in Orrington is preparing to remove millions of pounds of contaminated soil from the site, following the release of a long-awaited draft plan from state regulators.
The Maine Board of Environmental Protection yesterday presented the plan, which also would require Mallinckrodt Inc. to excavate two large landfills on the 295-acre site, according to the Bangor Daily News. But in a divergence from the Department of Environmental Protection's position, the board would allow three other landfills to remain on the site with additional monitoring. The board is expected to issue a formal ruling on Aug. 19.
The BEP's plan is estimated to cost Mallinckrodt between $100 million and $200 million, compared to $250 million to meet the requirements of the DEP's more stringent proposal. The company appealed DEP's order arguing that removing only the most contaminated soils would be faster and as environmentally beneficial as excavating all five landfills on the site, the paper reported.
HoltraChem closed the plant, a longtime maker of chemicals for the paper industry, in 2000 when it filed for bankruptcy. Mallinckrodt, which operated the plant from 1967 through 1982, is responsible for the site's cleanup, and has already spent $40 million for those efforts.
Go to the article in the Bangor Daily News >>
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