The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it has scheduled a public meeting Thursday, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. The meeting will take place in the sanctuary of Trinity CME Church (3313 Shuttlesworth Dr., Birmingham, AL 35207).
The meeting is about the inclusion of the 35th Avenue Superfund Site, which the EPA says is a risk to human health and the environment, on the National Priorities List. The NPL is a designation used by the EPA to determine which Superfund sites “warrant further investigation to assess the nature and extent of public health and environmental risks” related to hazardous substances.
Since 2012, the EPA has tested 1,200 lots in the northern Birmingham neighborhoods of Collegeville, Harriman Park and Fairmont. The agency found that the levels of toxic contamination in these yards require remediation (soil removal), which is currently ongoing.
Adding the 35th Avenue Superfund Site to the NPL is a significant step toward solving many problems facing the residents of the impacted neighborhoods. It is critical that the air toxics coming from the facilities in the northern Birmingham area a primary source of the contamination now being cleaned up be reduced significantly. Otherwise, future generations will be facing the same problem all over again in 25 or 50 years from now.
We are currently within a 60-day window for public comment on this proposed designation. (Details on the EPA comment process here.) Comments are due by Friday, November 21, 2014, and GASP encourages all stakeholders to submit comments to the EPA. If you need help drafting or submitting comments, please contact us as soon as possible to request assistance.
How to submit comments:
Submit your comments, identified by the 35th Avenue EPA Docket Number (EPA-HQ-SFUND-2014-0623) by one of the following methods:
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Email: [email protected]
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Mail:
Docket Coordinator, Headquarters
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
CERCLA Docket Office
(Mail Code 5305T)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460 -
Hand Delivery or Express Mail:
Docket Coordinator, Headquarters
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
CERCLA Docket Office
1301 Constitution Avenue, NW
William Jefferson Clinton Building
Room 3334
Washington, DC 20004 -
Online: Regulations.gov: Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. (Direct Link to public comments on the Federal Register page.)
